Power Rangers Genesis
by Jokermask18
Summary: Explore the history of the Power Ranger universe as a young Zordon finds himself chosenn to lead the fight against evil as leader of the very first Ranger team.


Power Rangers Genesis

A Power Rangers prequel by J.W. Appel

Disclaimer: All things Power Rangers are owned by Saban, Disney, and recently, Nickelodeon. Sentai is owned by Toei. I only own my own characters and concepts.

Author's notes: This fan-fic is meant to explore the early history of the PRU in vivid detail and while some things from the MMPR movie-verse will be included, they will be modified to fit the canon timeline. You'll even see a few homage's to Super Sentai thrown in here and there. I will also be attempting to fix some of the series' plot holes as best I can. Enjoy!

Prologue:

We all know the story of how five teenagers from Angel Grove, California were summoned by the great interdimensional sage Zordon of Eltar to defend Earth from evil as the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Since then, many new generations of Power Rangers have appeared to battle evil but where did it all begin? Who was Zordon? Where did the concept of Power Rangers come from? To answer this, we must go back to very beginning...

End Prologue

Part 1: Beginnings

Eons ago when the universe was young, in a time called the Age of Peace, there was harmony amongst all who lived. Things such as war, prejudice, and disease were unheard of as many races worked to benefit one another with technology and magic. All agreed that the universe had entered into a golden age such as it had never seen before. Sadly, it was also one the universe would never see again.

One day, something new erupted from the depths of the universe: evil. This evil came in the form of the Akuma, a race of demonic creatures dedicated to destroying the light of the universe. They carved a path of destruction across all worlds and none could stand against their terrible power. The Age of Peace had come to an end and was replaced by the Age of Darkness.

But while most had lost hope and pledged themselves to worshipping the Akuma, others found the will to fight. From across all worlds, a gathering of men and women came together and learned to harness the invisible field of universal energy that they called the Morphing Grid, becoming powerful beyond belief. The Grid could be harnessed by both magic and technology to do nearly anything, being more powerful than either one. The beings who harnessed it became known to future generations as the Morphing Masters. Together, they pledged themselves to ending the Akuma's reign of terror. The first Great War between good and evil had begun.

The Masters and the Akuma battled for a century with massive casualties on both sides. For the longest time, neither could gain the advantage. To that end, the Masters sought to create a new weapon that embodied all that was good in the universe. This weapon was called the Sword of Light and soon had the Akuma fleeing in terror at the sight of it.

The leader of the Akuma became enraged at this turn of events and eventually forged his own blade called the Sword of Darkness. This blade contained the evil from which the Akuma themselves were made and could even corrupt those within its presence. The war soon took a turn for the worse when the sinister race began using this power to gain allies and minions to serve them. The Akuma soon became confident that their superior numbers would crush the forces of good.

Despite these overwhelming odds however. The Morphing Masters refused to give in. For two decades, the Swords of Light and Darkness clashed, carving a path across the universe. Eventually, the conflict came down to one final duel on the Akuma's adopted home world in the farthest of galaxies. The planet's true inhabitants had been wiped out long ago by the Akuma and left behind the ruins of a great society. It was here that the final battle between good and evil began.

The last days of battle were fierce indeed. The sky itself was set ablaze by the fires of conflict and much blood was shed but in the end, the last of the Akuma fell. After so long, the Great War was finally over. However, with his dying breath, the leader of the Akuma gave one final warning: that one day, the ghost of their evil would rise to consume the universe for all time.

The Morphing Masters paid no heed to this however and simply set out to do what was required then and there. First, to symbolize the end of the Great War and remember the people who once dwelled on what would be called the Deserted Planet, they placed the Sword of Light into the hand of a statue modeled after the planet's first king. They placed an enchantment upon the statue to ensure that only a magic ring of their own creation could free the Sword from the statue's grip. With yet another spell, they made the sky to be forever ablaze to remember the great battle fought there.

The Masters' next move was to gather up the Sword of Darkness, the last remaint of the Akuma left. With it, they travelled across the universe to the world of Tarmac 3. Once there, they erected a mighty temple where the Sword would be hidden away from those who would seek its power. The Masters charged the planet's greatest warriors to safeguard the temple with their lives if necessary. It would be a grave duty passed down to many generations to come.

With these tasks done, The Masters separated and the universe once again knew peace as the Age of Darkness ended. However, as time passed and the Masters aged, they grew worried. The Akuma had left a taint on the universe and corrupted many. Conflict was breaking out everywhere and while the Masters did their best to keep the peace, it was always only temporary. They knew that a second Great War could begin one day and the universe would need protection from itself. They also knew that they would not be around to protect it forever.

And so the Masters gathered together once more and formed the Order of Meledon to train their descendants in the ways of the Power {as they called the Grid.} The new Masters and the many that followed them guarded the universe in secret, waiting for the day evil returned. This day finally came to pass when the demon-warlock known as Ivan Ooze appeared and quickly rose to power.

With his dark magic, Ivan unleashed a reign of terror not seen since the days of the Akuma. Within a short time, he had erected a powerful dark empire that spanned multiple worlds and would last six thousand years. The Order of Meledon knew Ivan had to be stopped and thus began enacting a plan to bring forth the universe's newest champions. It took many centuries of planning but the current Masters were finally ready and the universe would never be the same.

...

On the far end of the M-25 Galaxy, there existed a small yet prosperous planet called Eltar. It was a shimmering white and blue orb that seemed to glow when cast against the dark backdrop of space. All wildlife on the planet was wiped out a thousand years ago and the only real plant life was the dark blue grass that coated the landscape. The cities and homes were constructed of a crystal substance that was known for its beauty when bathed in the light of Eltar's red sun.

The Eltarians were a race known for their advanced technology and mastery of magic. With these resources, they had managed to create a peaceful society that the rest of the galaxy considered a utopia. However, the people of Eltar were not blind to the evil plaguing the rest of the universe. With the threat of Ivan Ooze drawing closer to their home galaxy, the Grand Council of Eltar prepared themselves to take action.

The Grand Council was Eltar's supreme authority. Assembled from the eight Elders who governed Eltar's various provinces, its sworn duty was to guide the people towards prosperity and peace. Their headquarters was a mighty palace-like structure located in the capital city of Majero. Seated at a large circular table in the palace's main chambers, the Elders argued amongst themselves over the fate of their world.

"Esteemed members of the council, please come to order!" The deep voice of Chief Elder Barza boomed through the halls from his place at the head of the table, bringing everyone to attention. He was a tall man nearing seven feet with a bald head and the golden eyes native to his race. He was dressed in the pristine white robes which signified his position as Chief Elder in contrast to the gray robes of the others. His aged features were set in a frown yet his eyes shone with the light of wisdom, love, and compassion he used to govern his people.

"We are all aware of why we are here" Barza began as he stood up "even as we speak, Ivan Ooze's hold on the universe grows tighter. Rumor has it that he is now in the process of creating mighty war-machines capable of destroying entire star systems! If left unchecked, Ooze's evil could consume the universe itself. For the good of our brothers and sisters across the stars, we must act! I motion that we actively assist in the war against Ivan's empire, what say you all?"

In that instant, the Elders once again began to quarrel amongst themselves. The ancient Eltarians had long ago detached themselves from universal affairs in order to achieve the planet's current prosperity. Could they really give all that up? Eventually,

One of the Elders, a female named Dorani, stood up to speak.

"What you suggest is ludicrous Barza, you would have us abandon sacred principles and tempt the wrath of the most foul empire in the universe for the sake of lesser beings!" "Lesser beings!" Barza said incredulously "I had always thought you more humble than that Dorani." "Hear me out, you know we are the most advanced race in this or any other galaxy."

"I do" Barza replied evenly "and that is why this responsibility falls to us. Only we stand a chance of combating Ooze's empire." "Ooze would destroy us in a minute!" Dorani argued, her voice rising "our entire culture would be wiped out!"

Barza grew angry and replied "Ivan will target us eventually. When he does, I had hoped we might enter the next life as heroes rather than cowards in hiding!" Before Dorani could respond, another Elder named Torako spoke up. "Dorani is right Barza, to put our very culture at risk for beings who have never understood us are utterly pointless! Ooze is more than a petty tyrant, he's an abomination!"

"Have a little faith in you Torako." another female Elder called Lorikona said in a haughty voice "while I see no reason to involve ourselves in any war, Ivan Ooze would never dare attack Eltar. Our magical arts are more than enough to repel him and these so called war-machines. Surely as the strongest of us all Barza, you should realize this."

"Besides" another Elder pointed out "the Defender Corps is more than prepared to handle such things if they occur." The Defender Corps was an elite unit trained to handle any real emergency that might happen on Eltar. It had seen very little action since it was first founded and was more tradition than anything but a respected one. The Corps was also the closest thing Eltar had to a military.

"The Defender Corps is nowhere near ready to combat Ooze's forces" Barza protested "most of the cadets are only children! Would you risk their lives so carelessly!"

"Have you no faith in your people at all?" Dorani asked in a cold tone "and may I remind you that you enlisted your own son into the Defender Corps mere months ago? I thought you were above hypocrisy Barza." The Female Elder's tone becomes one of sarcasm as she spoke.

Barza was about to retort when Mordo, his closest friend and second Chief Elder, stepped in. "Enough Dorani!" Mordo then turned towards Barza. "Forgive me old friend, but while I agree with you, the majority rejects your proposal. By law, the topic is hereby dismissed." Barza said nothing but nodded. He had to obey laws he himself helped establish.

With that, the Grand Council was dismissed and teleported to their respective homes. Only Barza stayed behind to gather his thoughts. Were they right? Were his worries groundless? Weary, Barza silently hoped his son was having better luck than him right now

...

The training academy of the Eltarian Defender Corps was a large crystal dome planted in the center of the planet's moon. Within this vast structure, many young males and females were tested to their physical, mental, and even emotional limits as they were made into protectors of the people. Clad in a silver jumpsuit bearing the crest of the Grand Council and armed with only a small laser pistol, these brave young Eltarians were prepared to give their lives to defend the planet if necessary. Despite the serene state of the world, one never knew what evil might befall Eltar with Ivan Ooze lurking about the universe.

One unique method of training for the cadets was the holo-simulation chamber located in the academy's west-wing. It was here where they could test their skills in combat against illusionary foes. At that moment, one lone cadet occupied the chamber. This was Zordon, the son of Chief Elder Barza and at the moment, the newest and lowest ranked cadet in the academy.

In these days, Zordon was a young adult of around nineteen Eltarian years old with boyish good looks complemented by his unique blue hair and goatee. While this made him attractive to many females, he was often considered an outcast by those around him. He was never athletic or academically gifted and even the magical arts that came so naturally to his race were a challenge to him. Compared to the legendary champion of good he would eventually become, this was quite shocking.

Zordon had entered into the academy just months ago in an effort to make his father proud. Ever since the death of Zordon's mother, Barza had raised him on his own as a loving and caring father. He had also been the only real friend Zordon ever had. Becoming a member of the Defender Corps was the best way to pay him back.

Try as he might however, Zordon simply couldn't measure up. He had failed even the simplest training course multiple times, earnest the lowest average in the academy's history. The other cadets considered him a laughing stock and claimed that only his status as the Chief Elder's son kept him around. Zordon couldn't and didn't argue.

Eventually, it was agreed that Zordon would undergo one final trial to determine his future at the academy. If he could beat the holo-simulation chamber's toughest training course, he would be allowed into the Defender Corps but if he failed, he faced immediate expulsion. Knowing this was his last chance at redemption, Zordon accepted the terms. His family's honor depended on it.

As Zordon prepared himself for his ultimate trial, a group of older cadets sneered at him from outside the chamber. They had made it their business to torture Zordon since day one and witnessing his ultimate humiliation was one thing they couldn't pass up. "When's the slaughter supposed to begin?" Kodem, the group's self-appointed leader questioned his three compatriots. He wore a smug smile on his face that practically personified arrogance.

"It won't be long now" his best friend Jericho said with a chuckle "this is going to be good!" "It's kind of a shame really" Jericho's girlfriend Radonna said "he's cute for a dweeb." The others looked at her questioningly. "You're such a flake Radonna" her best girl friend Lexia said with a roll of her eyes.

The conversation halted when Headmaster Katar, a tough broad-shouldered veteran of the Corps, teleported in. "Is the cadet fully prepared?" He asked the seniors in a gruff voice. "We believe so, Headmaster" Kodem said as he did his best to hide a smirk.

Katar walked over to the chamber's control panel and spoke into the intercom. "Cadet Zordon, are you ready?" "I am ready Headmaster" Zordon tried to sound confident "begin the simulation!"

Almost instantly, the chamber's interior began to shift and transform until it became a ruined version of the capital city. Flames and smoke were everywhere and dead bodies littered the street by the thousands. As Zordon took in the horrifying scene, a loud roar brought him to his senses. From out of the fire emerged a humanoid monster with ram-like horns on his head and glowing eyes. He was clad in orange armor decorated with spikes and held a huge sword in his hand.

Zordon recognized this beast from historical archives. It was a member of the Armorax, a race of barbarian warriors who had invaded Eltar centuries ago and nearly wiped out the planet. The ancient Elders had formed the Defender Corps to drive them away, eventually banishing them to another dimension. It was not long after that when Eltar detached itself from universal affairs to attain peace

Zordon froze with fear at the sight before him. Ever sense he was a child studying Eltar's ancient history in school, stories of the Armorax race had terrified him. To face one in person was his greatest nightmare and it only got worse when more of them began to appear. Soon, there were at least ten of them.

Zordon began backing away in fear until he remembered what was at stake. Pulling out his laser pistol, he fired a barrage of shots to no avail. Armorax skin was just too thick. Soon, one of the beasts swung at Zordon using its sword.

The young cadet just barely managed to dodge the blade and entered into a fighting stance, abet a clumsy one. His punches and kicks didn't even faze his attackers and only seemed to annoy them if anything. Zordon soon found himself roughly grabbed by one of them and tossed. He sailed through the air and crashed into another wrecked building occupied by dead citizens.

Zordon groaned as he got to his feet. He had to do something to turn this battle around and fast. As his attackers closed in, Zordon knew he had only one choice: use magic. Most children on Eltar were taught to harness their natural magical abilities by tutors who had been payed by their parents but Zordon was taught personally by his father, Eltar's greatest wizard. In the past, Zordon's attempts at magic were less than successful but it was now or never.

Closing his eyes, the young Eltarian began to concentrate. Soon his hands began to glow with a soft golden light as he summoned the magical energy within. Zordon then turned and saw the Armorax burst through the ruined crystal wall, ready to finish him off. This would be his last chance to prove himself to everyone.

Placing his hand in front of his attackers with his palm open, Zordon yelled out the spell in ancient Eltarian. A bright wave of golden energy shot from his outstretched hand and struck the Armorax barbarians. The leader of the savages took the full force of the attack and seemed to stumble but then, to Zordon's shock, effortlessly reflected it back. The young cadet was struck by the full force of his own attack and sent flying.

Zordon felt himself smash into the wall behind him and crumple to the floor. Even on the brink of unconsciousness, he knew the leader of the Armorax stood over him, ready to end his life. As Zordon prepared for the end, he couldn't help but feel he had let his father down. The Armorax leader's sword was bearing down upon him when a harsh voice yelled "end simulation!"

The scene instantly changed back into the holo-simulation chamber with Zordon lying on the cold floor. Headmaster Katar soon entered the chamber followed by the senior cadets. Their faces were contorted into masks of barely-restrained glee as they watched Zordon shakily rise to his feet. They all knew what was coming next.

"Cadet Zordon" Katar began in a gravelly voice that held nothing but contempt "in the past few months, you have all but destroyed the reputation of this academy and this Corps, a Corps I've given three centuries of my life to. Your stats are the worst recorded in Corps history and the fact that you're the Chief Elder's son only makes it even more pathetic! Your father said we could expect great things from you but I guess there are limits to even his wisdom. You are hereby discharged from the academy, effective immediately!"

Without another word, the Headmaster marched out of the chamber. The senior cadets soon followed but not before casting one final smug look at Zordon. "Better luck next time loser" Kodem laughed "I don't know why your father even keeps you around; he does more than enough charity work." The others shared a laugh at that and soon followed their leader out the door.

As he watched them leave, Zordon's blood boiled. He vowed that one day he would be better than all of them. But the more he thought of this, his anger slowly turned into sadness as he realized it would never be. Before he was teleported away from the academy, a single tear rolled down Zordon's cheek.

...

The Chief Elder's estate had stood out as a national monument on Eltar for centuries. Located in the western sector of Majero, It was a huge mansion that was envied by even the planet's wealthiest citizens and comparable to Earth's White House. Statues of previous Elders lined the courtyard and armed guards patrolled the front gate twenty-four hours a day. No one else on Eltar warranted this much protection, not even the other Elders.

Inside the mansion's dining area, father and son ate in silence. The struggles of the day weighed heavy on both of them and neither of them could bring themselves to speak of it. Even the servants could feel the tension in the room.

As Barza looked across the table at his son, his heart ached. Ever since the death of Zordon's mother, he had raised his son the best he could but nothing could get Zordon out of his depression. The only reason he even allowed Zordon to enter the academy was because he was determined to prove himself. As Barza looked into his son's lifeless eyes, he feared this failure would send him over the edge.

"Don't judge Katar too harshly son" he said in an effort to break the silence "sometimes he forgets how rough training can be for cadets. I know for a fact he was far from perfect when he first entered the academy. Considering what you went through, I'd say you performed most excellently". For a moment, Zordon was silent almost as if he didn't hear and then stared straight at his father. "How can you claim me?" "What?"

"How can you bare to claim me as your son?" Zordon repeated his question "I am a disgrace to our family." "Son, I-" Barza began but Zordon cut him off. "You are chief of the Grand Council and the most powerful wizard on the planet! I'm just a nobody and a freak. I couldn't even get past stage one of academy training and I have difficulty casting spells that a toddler can master! What good am I to anyone!"

Barza stood up and looked his son in the eye. "Zordon, that's enough!" He spoke in a firm tone but still sounded gentle "you make me prouder than any father ever has been." Noticing his son's confusion, the old wizard walked over and before Zordon could protest, enveloped him in a tight hug.

"I know of the struggles you go through my son" Barza whispered in a voice he often used to calm Zordon as a child whenever the later began crying "my heart aches to see you in such a state. But time and time again, you seek to prove yourself. You refuse to give up and for this, I couldn't be more proud."

Zordon saw the sincerity in his father's eyes and for the first time that day, actually smiled. Barza smiled back and continued "you have a grand destiny ahead of you my son, far greater than being a mere wizard or soldier, or even Chief Elder. I have foreseen it." This got Zordon's attention as Barza was one of the few Eltarian wizards capable of receiving visions of the future, though they didn't occur often.

"What did you see?" Zordon asked with an almost child-like enthusiasm. Barza's smile didn't waver but it did become noticeably sadder as he said "remember my son, the path of greatness is often filled with tragedy." It would be years before Zordon truly understood his father's words.

Night was usually peaceful on Eltar but that night, Zordon was plagued by nightmares. He saw horrific battles of life and death being waged between hideous monsters and warriors clad in colorful armor. He saw giant machines combine to form even larger robots. He saw a warrior whose armor changed from green to white then red then black. Lastly, he saw a wave of golden light sweep across the universe.

Zordon woke up in a cold sweat. What had he just seen? Before he could ponder the matter further, a clap of thunder caught his attention and his eyes narrowed. Eltar never had storms.

...

In the capital city of Majero, all eyes turned to the heavens as unnatural black clouds gathered in the skies above. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as odd purple rain fell onto the streets below. Curious onlookers approached the strange precipitation only to discover it was a purple slime-like substance. Their disgust turned to horror however when the substance began moving and merging together into a massive clump of purple slime. The slime then began splitting apart to form a dozen or so humanoid shapes that quickly became hideous creatures that let out savage roars. These were Ooze Men, the personal foot-soldiers of Ivan Ooze made from the demon-warlock's own essence. The day all of Eltar feared had finally come.

As more and more Ooze Men began to take form, citizens let out screams of panic and fled for their lives. The mutant grunts gave out yells of evil glee as they rampaged throughout the city destroying everything in their path. Soon, members of the Defender Corps teleported onto the scene and quickly began engaging the monsters in combat. They knew this was what they trained for.

...

As the screams echoed through the night air, Zordon began to panic. He had to find his father and fast! Running down the stairs from his room to the parlor, he came across a group of servants who had also awoken to the commotion. "Jarox" Zordon yelled out to his family's manservant "where is my father!"

Jarox didn't answer at first and instead exchanged grim looks with the other servants, which frightened Zordon even more. "Where is he!" "We-we do not know Master Zordon." Tears began to fall from Zordon's eyes as he silently prayed that his father was alive.

...

In the headquarters of the Grand Council, seven Elders teleported to their seats in a mad panic. Despite the confidence displayed by most of them earlier that day, their composure quickly faded in the face of a true crisis. "What can we do, it's a nightmare out there!" Torako yelled "the Defender Corps is being slaughtered!"

"We must insure our culture's survival" Dorani decided "we are far too great to die like this. We must flee at once!" "Fools!" Mordo bellowed "can you not see! Barza was right and now our inaction has sealed our doom!" "Where is Barza!"

Before anyone could respond, a great quake shook the chamber. The Council watched as a huge glob of purple slime slithered its way through the chamber doors and formed a sinister purple humanoid in matching black and purple robes. The Elders paled: Ivan Ooze himself stood before them. The demon-warlock grinned malevolently at them, showing rotting yellow teeth. "Ladies and gentlemen" he announced with a dramatic flourish "the Ooze is in the building!"

...

In the Chief Elder's estate, tensions were high as Zordon engaged in heated debate with Jarox. "I forbid it Master Zordon" Jarox said firmly "your life is far too valuable to this world." "He's my father Jarox, I have to find him!" Zordon yelled back, his temper flaring. "You are the only heir to the position of Chief Elder; this planet would fall into chaos without you." "It's in chaos now!" The fury in the usually meek young man's voice stunned everyone present, including Zordon. Before Jarox could reply, an explosion knocked everyone backwards.

As they rose to their feet, the group watched as Ooze Men marched through the newly made opening in the wall. As Zordon froze with fear, Jarox and the other servants stood their ground. "Master Zordon, get out of here! We'll hold them off while you find your father, go!"

Zordon started to comply but hesitated. "But I-" "Go!" Zordon made his escape but at the same time, felt great shame for his cowardice.

...

Ivan Ooze grinned darkly as he eyed the terrified Elders. The demon-warlock loved flashy entrances and the terror he caused with them. He had spent weeks perfecting that storm spell so his minions' appearance on Eltar would cause as much terror as possible. Even now, he could sense their fear all around him.

"So this is the great Grand Council of Eltar? I can't say I'm impressed" Ivan cackled. "How dare you intrude here you foul abomination! Dorani yelled suddenly "leave this planet at once!"

Ivan pretended to be offended and sniffed under his arm. "Foul! I just bathed a thousand years ago!" He then broke into a nasty smile and said "as for leaving, I'm afraid I can't just yet. You Eltarians have done me a big favor by staying out of my affairs but I've come too far to leave any stone unturned. It's time for the last obstacle in my path to be dealt with once and for all."

Ivan's eyes began to glow as he prepared to attack but a silver blast of magical energy struck him from behind and caused him to stumble. "Who dares!" The demon-warlock roared in fury, his good humored facade fading. No one had ever caught him off guard before.

In response, a figure stepped from the shadows and was revealed to be Barza. His face bore a look of strange calmness, as if he expected this very moment to occur just as it was. The old wizard casually walked past the still fuming Ivan and took his place at the head of the council table, leaving the other Elders in shock. "Barza, we thought you had abandoned us!" Mordo exclaimed in shock.

Barza smiled and replied "never, old friend." He then turned back to Ivan and said "you were warned Ooze, leave this world at once or face the consequences!" Ivan was silent for a moment then laughed. "This old fart is your leader? No wonder you're such cowards! Alright gramps, take your best shot!"

Barza looked at the rest of the Council who nodded. Instantly, they unleashed a massive blast of magical energy at Ivan. To their shock however, the demon-warlock was unphased and simply chuckled. "That tickled" he laughed as the attack ended "now, it's my turn." The last thing the Elders saw before all went black was a massive wave of purple energy coming right at them.

...

Zordon could barely breathe as he ran through the streets of Majero. He couldn't teleport yet and the smoke and flame of the wreckage constricted his lungs horribly. He still couldn't believe the destruction Ivan's forces had caused to the once mighty city. Among the dead were many Defender Corps members, including Katar and the senior cadets. When Zordon saw this, his heart ached. As much as they bullied him, he never wanted this.

Zordon was shaken out of his thoughts when an explosion rocked the planet. Even from several yards away, he could see the bright flash of purple light. Zordon quickly became horrified when he realized it came from the direction of Grand Council headquarters. Fearing the worst, he quickened his pace.

As Zordon neared the wreckage, he stopped short. Standing amid the destruction was Ivan Ooze, a figure he had feared since childhood. The demon-warlock seemed to be surveying the wreckage until he finally picked up a large crystal and smiled broadly. "I've finally found it!" Zordon heard Ivan exclaim "after all these years, my ultimate conquest can finally begin!"

The demon-warlock then turned to see his Ooze Men approach, each one carrying their own crystal. "Time to go home kids" he cackled "daddy's got big plans tonight!" With that, Ivan and his minions became purple energy that streaked across the sky. Zordon quickly rushed over the minute they were out of sight and began digging through the rubble they had left behind.

"Father? Father!" A soft groan was his reply and after a few moments, Barza's head was uncovered. The old wizard weakly smiled when he saw his son's face. "Zordon...thank goodness you're safe."

Tears began to fall from Zordon's eyes. He knew his father was dying but couldn't bring himself to admit it. "Father, we have to get out of here! You can still stop Ivan if we heal you!"

"It is far too late for me my son" Barza replied as his voice grew weaker "but has faith, we will meet again in the next life someday. Now is the time to embrace your destiny." "My destiny!" Zordon stammered "father, what are you talking about!"

Barza merely smiled. His breathing grew more and more forced and his eyes began to slowly close. "You have always made me very proud my son" the old wizard breathed his last words "may the Power protect you." "Father!" Zordon's scream echoed through the night air even as he vanished in a flash of light.

...

Zordon next found himself standing in a place of shadow. No light could be seen anywhere and the only sound was the beating of his own heart. He looked around in a panic. Where was he? What had happened? Was he...dead?

Suddenly, bright light flooded Zordon's face. Looking directly in front of him, the young man could make out a massive door with an equally large coin embedded on it. This coin emitted the glow and compelled Zordon to step forward. As he reached forward to touch it's surface. The coin shattered and the door opened to reveal a long hallway. Once again compelled by an outside force, Zordon walked forward and began his trek.

The hall was an impressive sight to be sure. The floor and walls were made of marble and decorated with gems of various colors while towering stone pillars supported the entire structure, irradiating beauty. Zordon was absolutely transfixed by it and could also feel an immense power all around him. In that instant, he was truly humbled.

As Zordon approached the end of the hall, he saw himself standing before an immense stone platform. Standing on it were six figures clad in hooded cloaks of red, blue, black, yellow, pink, and white. Each one stood in a column of light that matched their robes and somehow, Zordon knew the power he felt came from them. "Welcome Zordon of Eltar" the red one spoke "we've been expecting you."

"Who are you?" Zordon asked "where am I?" "We are the Morphing Masters" the white figure spoke next "and we welcome you to the Order of Meledon." Zordon gasped. Every child on Eltar grew up hearing about the legendary Morphing Masters and their crusade against evil but Zordon never dreamed he would meet them in person.

"If you are the Morphing Masters, then does the Morphing Grid truly exist?" Zordon asked and the Red Master chuckled. "The Grid does indeed exist young one" he said "but we are not the Morphing Masters of legend. We are merely the latest in a long line of descendents who have been taught their secrets and tasked with their duty of battling evil in all its forms."

Zordon suddenly became angry and asked "then where have you been while Ivan Ooze has run amok for all these years! My father and nearly half the population of my home world were slaughtered tonight! The real Morphing Masters would have stopped Ooze years ago! You are imposters who have cost the universe thousands of lives!"

"We are well aware of Ivan Ooze" the Pink Master, one of the only two female Morphing Masters, said calmly "but his reign of terror was ordained by fate." "Yes" agreed the Yellow Master, also female. "The Power itself has chosen new champions in the fight against evil. You young Zordon, are one of them." Zordon's anger gave way to shock. "Me? You can't be serious! I'm no champion."

"Your father thought differently" the Red Master said which got Zordon's attention. "You knew my father?" "Indeed, he aided us many times with his visions. He foresaw that he would sire a son who would become a mighty champion of good and aided us in discovering the identities of the others."

Zordon was in shock. How could his father not have told him? He suddenly remembered the Masters' words. "You said I was only one champion, but who are the others?"

The Masters gestured behind Zordon and he turned to see five new figures appear. There were three men and two women, all of a humanoid species and close ages. Each of them stepped into the light and gazed at Zordon for the first time. He couldn't help but feel they were sizing him up.

The first boy looked Zordon's age with blonde hair and was dressed in animal skins. He seemed to look at Zordon with optimism. The next boy was a year or so younger with dark skin and was dressed in a scholar's robes. He looked at Zordon curiously. The third young man looked much older that the others with black hair and gray eyes. He was dressed in rags and a large scar could be seen on his right cheek. He seemed to sneer at Zordon and the Eltarian instantly felt uneasy about him. The next member was a tall woman with an athletic build, red hair, and blue eyes who wore a green bikini. Zordon was amazed with her beauty and when they locked eyes, something stirred within them both. The final member was shorter woman with dark hair, green eyes, elves ears, and wearing a formal dress. She seemed nervous and looked at Zordon with a shy glance.

"These are your new teammates" the Red Master explained to Zordon as he gazed at each of them "Quasar, Borgon, Cronos, Dulcea, and Jarella. They have been selected to defeat Ooze alongside you." "He's the one who's going to join us?" The one called Cronos scoffed "he looks like a weakling to me."

Before Zordon could respond, the one called Dulcea spoke "quiet Cronos! It is the Masters' decision not yours." "Yeah Cronos, you said the same thing about Borgon when he arrived" Quasar reminded his friend. "Besides, he is an Eltarian and they're among the most powerful people in several galaxies" Borgon added, which only made Zordon less sure of himself. "There's something more special about him than that" Jarella added "I can feel it."

Zordon was confused and turned back to the Red Master. "Is this for real?" "All will be made clear in time" the Red Master replied before turning his gaze on the others and commanding "candidates, step forward!" The small group of five did so obediently, standing in perfect formation and making Zordon feel like he was back at the academy.

"In the past several weeks, the forces of Ivan Ooze have attacked your home worlds in an effort to find a suitable power source for his Ectomorphicon Titans" the Red Master addressed them. "After several failures, he has found Eltarian crystal, which can easily be converted into a near-infinite form of energy. With this development, construction of the Titans will be completed within three months' time and Ivan will decimate the universe with their power. In accordance with an ancient prophecy foretold by the first Morphing Masters, you six have been selected to stop this evil as knights of the Order. Do you accept?"

"We do!" The unified voices of Quasar, Borgon, Cronos, Dulcea, and Jarella rang out passionately and proudly. The Red Master turned to the newest recruit and asked "what say you, young Zordon? Will you join this fight?"

As all eyes turned on him, Zordon felt a colossal weight on his back. All his life, he had been a failure and now he was expected to beat the universe's greatest evil? It couldn't be done! He was about to decline when he remembered his father and new determination filled his heart. "I accept."

...

The next day, Zordon and his new team entered into harsher combat training than even the Defender Corps was capable of, getting to know his new allies in the process. Quasar was from the jungle world of Mirinoi and a wise-cracking joker, Borgon was the young but gifted scholar from Horath and considered a mechanical genius, Dulcea was the aspiring warrior from Phaedos who became very close to Zordon, and Jarella was the in-training priestess of Sorcery 7 who was the most spiritual of them all. The only exception was Cronos, who refused to speak of his past but seemed to hate Ivan Ooze with a passion. Eventually however, they became a team.

Once their physical training was done, they entered spiritual training by attempting to connect with the Morphing Grid. They meditated for hours each day, hoping to enter the spiritual realm of power that most didn't believe in. Once they finally accomplished this, they entered a realm of color and spirits of various kinds. These spirits resembled creatures of both myth and reality and were called Grid Avatars by the Masters. The Grid Avatars were said to channel their strength and powers through the Grid and would aid in the fight against Ivan Ooze.

Finally, after nearly three months, they were ready. The Morphing Masters stood before them holding a small chest that was said to contain their destinies. "You have all proven yourselves to be true warriors of the highest valor" the Red Master announced "you are now ready to receive the power you were destined for. Behold...the Power Coins." The box came open to reveal six coins glowing with multicolored light. They were larger than the Power Coins of modern times and were silver rather than gold. Each warrior's Grid Avatar was shown on the front.

"These coins were forged using alchemy, a unique art combining magic and science" the Blue Master spoke up "they are powered by the Grid and made to channel your respective Avatars." "With these" the Pink Master continued "you will be able to stop Ivan." The Power Coins floated up out of the box and flew towards their respective owners. As they did so, bronze buckle-like devices appeared on each warrior's waist, letting the Coins fit inside.

"These are your morphing devices or morphers for short, used to channel the power of the coins" the Red Master explained "to activate them; you must invoke the Power and the name of your Grid Avatar." So saying, each Master stepped down from the platform and walked up to each warrior, starting with Zordon. "Zordon of Eltar" spoke the White Master "your Avatar is the Titan, one of an ancient and mighty race which predates the Gods themselves. You channel the White of the Grid, which symbolizes strength. You are the leader of these brave warriors and the mightiest of them all."

Zordon smiled proudly, never noticing Cronos' glare. The awkward young man had grown into a mighty warrior who would one day become a legend. Next, the Red Master approached Quasar. "Quasar of Mirinoi, your Avatar is the Chimara, a mighty beast who commands fire. You channel the Red of the Grid, which symbolizes courage. You are Zordon's second in command."

Borgon was next. "You command fire as well Borgon of Horath" said the Blue Master "your Avatar is the Dragon, one of the most fierce creatures in the realm of magic. You channel the Blue of the Grid, which symbolizes wisdom." Borgon smiled.

"Cronos of Nim" the Black Master spoke "your Avatar is Cerberus, guardian beast of Hell. You channel the Black of the Grid, which symbolizes fury. Be careful it does not consume you." Cronos narrowed his eyes at this warning but said nothing.

The Yellow Master spoke next. "Dulcea of Phaedos, your Avatar is the Griffin, a creature with the courage of the lion and the swiftness of the eagle. You channel the Yellow of the Grid, which symbolizes honor. This is the defining trait of a true warrior." As the Yellow Master walked away, Zordon flashed Dulcea a quick smile.

Finally, the Pink Master approached Jarella. "Jarella of Sorcery 7, your Avatar is the Unicorn, a creature of magic and purity. May it's magic serve you well as you channel the Pink of the Grid, which symbolizes hope." Jarella blushed, unable to believe what was happening.

The Masters returned to their platform and addressed them all. "Now young warriors invoke the Power and claim your destinies." The six nodded and grabbed their morphers, placing them in front of them as they extended their arms. All at once, six voices rang as one: "Power of the Morphing Grid! Titan! Chimara! Dragon! Cerberus! Griffin! Unicorn!"

A huge flash of light erupted as the six transformed, leaving warriors clad in colored armor standing in their places. The first Power Rangers, known to future generations as the Genesis Rangers, had arrived. Zordon, the White Ranger, Quasar, the Red Ranger, Borgon, the Blue Ranger, Dulcea, the Yellow Ranger, and Jarella, the Pink Ranger. Unlike future generations, the first Ranger suits resembled a knight's armor rather than spandex. Leather belts of matching color with multiple pouches wrapped around their waists in place of their morphers and their Power Coins were now plastered on their chests as emblems. The visors of their helmets resembled lightning bolts and while the suits had the same basic design, both Dulcea and Jarella had skirts included to further indicate their female nature.

"You are now Power Rangers, champions of the Morphing Grid and knights of the Order" the Red Master proclaimed proudly "each of you now wields powers and weapons unlike anything in this universe. May they serve you well in the fight against evil."? "What weapons!" Cronos demanded angrily "where are they?

"Have faith Cronos" the Black Master replied "the Grid will provide you with the knowledge needed to access your arsenal. Right now, time is off the essence. In three days, Ivan Ooze will have completed his Ectomorphican Titans. You must infiltrate his home world, the jewel of his empire, and end his reign of terror. Go, and may the Power protect you."

All the Rangers {even Cronos with some pushing from the others} bowed respectfully to their mentors. "We won't fail you" said Zordon and they vanished in streaks of colored light. "The prophecy has come to pass" the Red Master said "just as our ancestors predicted." "Yes" the Black Master agreed in a sad voice "I only hope that what arises because of it will be worth it in the end." "Have faith" the Pink Master replied "the path of fate forever changes. Perhaps the prophecy can change as well." "Always hopeful, aren't you?" The Red Master's tone was dry. "Of course."

...

On the far-end of Galaxy M-49, a small planet was infested with monstrous evil. This was the planet of Ectomorph, once known as Mercuria, home world to the demon-warlock Ivan Ooze and the crown of his empire. It was a dark purple orb with storm clouds constantly hovering over it, lighting striking all around. It was just another result of Ivan's dark magic.

Across the globe, the oppressed populace toiled endlessly to the will of the demon-warlock, digging for raw minerals, building monuments, even humiliating themselves by dancing ridiculous dances for the pleasure of Ivan and his minions. Those who obeyed were given just enough food and water to keep them alive and were forced to live under the most inhuman conditions imaginable. Those who did not obey faced either torture or execution by Ivan's hand and the demon-warlock could very often make them wish for the later. Such was the state of this world and dozens of others under Ivan's heel.

In his palace on the far side of the planet, Ivan sat on his throne pondering recent events. It had been ten years since he began construction on the Ectomorphicon Titans and after searching so long, he had found a suitable power source. Eltarian crystal was such a wonder and soon his empire would extend to the farthest reaches of the universe. Soon, his master's will would be done.

Ivan chuckled. How strange it was to think that he, the supreme ruler of the foulest empire in the universe, had a master. His mind flashed back six thousand years ago when there was no Ivan Ooze but Sir Ivan of Mercuria, a researcher obsessed with the legend of the Morphing Masters. He had wanted to desperately prove that the Masters and the fabled Morphing Grid truly existed. His search for answers took him to every corner of the galaxy, but he found nothing.

Facing ridicule by his contemporaries, he traveled to Cimmeria, which was said to be where the Masters hid their most powerful magical artifacts. After searching the ruins for hours, he became desperate enough to scream he would sell his very soul for the Morphing Masters' secrets. Someone heard him. The Dark One appeared to him and whispered secrets in his ear, offering him power beyond that of the Masters in exchange for servitude. He gladly accepted and was transformed into Ivan Ooze, the Dark One's herald.

Soon Ivan's thoughts turned from the past to the future. What should he conquer first with his Titans? His sources told him that a former apprentice of his was starting a takeover of the M-51 Galaxy, maybe he should wipe out the competition. What was his name again? Vile?

Ivan was shaken out of his thoughts when he sensed something...and smelled something. Sniffing the air, he grimaced. "What is that odious stench?" Ivan asked out loud "smells like...teenagers!"

...

Far out in the desert, six streams of colored light touched down and materialized into the Genesis Rangers. Upon surveying their surroundings, the Black Ranger scowled beneath his helmet. "What is this! We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"No" Jarella spoke up suddenly "I can sense suffering from all around here. It feels like Ivan is torturing thousands all at once." "Ivan has been said to own several slave camps" Borgon noted "I suppose taking one down would be a fair way to introduce ourselves." "Can you give us exact Cordiant? Zordon asked Jarella.

The PinK Ranger closed her eyes beneath her helmet and concentrated, attempting to extend her senses but after a moment said "I can't but it feels close. It's like we're right on top of it." "Uh...guys? Quasar spoke up after a moment "is that it?"

The other Rangers turned to see a demonic looking for just a few yards away. Evil radiated from its very core. This was Ivan Ooze's slave camp. "Hmmp" Cronos grunted "guess Quasar is good for something after all."

...

In Ivan's slave camp, hundreds of men, women and children struggled to construct a member of Ivan's fleet of Ectomorphicon Titans. There were ten in all, each modeled after a particular predator. This one, named Cobrakahn by its master, was based off a deadly cobra and would fire acid from its mouth upon completion. Several other camps across the planet were already building the others and thanks to Ivan's new found power source, they would be ready within the next two days.

Life in the camp was unbearable. Watched over by a squadron of whip-carrying Ooze Menthe unwilling slaves were forced to carry massive amounts of machinery to add to the monstrous creation. The back-breaking labor lasted twelve hours a day and was rewarded with only the tiniest of rations. Any slave who rebelled was given at least a dozen lashes for their trouble or placed in solitary confinement where they were denied food, water or even sunlight.

Among this group of poor souls was a young boy named Tyrax. His father had been the leader of a resistance against Ivan and was killed in battle. Soon after, Ivan's forces invaded Tyrax's home, killing his mother and dragging him into the camp.

Because of his father's actions, Ivan had given his Ooze Men orders to treat Tyrax even more harshly than the other slaves. He was fed less often than anyone else and was lashed twice as much if he disobeyed orders. Anyone who attempted to help him would suffer the same fate. There seemed to no hope left for the people of the former Mercuria.

In the past week, the Ooze Men were feeling particularly cruel and had not fed Tyrax for the past five days. The young Mercurian was weak from hunger as he struggled to handle a large chunk of metal. His vision was blurry and he felt ready to faint any minute. Despite his best efforts, he soon collapsed from exhaustion, his heavy load clattering to the ground.

A harsh silence filled the camp: they all knew what to expect. As two particularly nasty Ooze Men marched over, Tyrax scrambled to his feet. "NO! Please, it was an accident, I'm sorry!"

The two Ooze Men ignored the boy's pleas and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragging him to a nearby flogging post. On Ivan's orders, if Tyrax dropped a single piece, he was to be lashed one thousand times; something his weakened body couldn't survive. The other slaves watched helplessly as Tyrax was tied to the post and the whip made ready, already glowing evilly. Tyrax silently began to cry and pray as the whip was raised, but the audible crack never came.

A white gloved hand appeared out of nowhere and caught the whip. The Ooze Man now found himself staring at a white armored warrior who had appeared between the whip and Tyrax. "No one will whip an innocent child around here anymore" the warrior growled, rage evident even beneath his helmet "not ever!" The warrior then proceeded to deliver a hard kick that sent the purple creature flying backwards.

Everyone present was shocked at this feat. No one had dared attack Ivan's minions that way before. This shock only grew when five more colored warriors appeared to stand beside the white one, already in fighting stances. "We are the Power Rangers, champions of the Morphing Grid" Zordon proclaimed "and we are here to end this tyranny. Surrender now and you will not be harmed."

In response, every Ooze Man in the camp joined their comrade. Soon, there were a dozen of them ready to fight. "I think they want to get hurt" Quasar quipped. "I'll be happy to oblige them" said Dulcea, a hunger for battle evident in her tone. Zordon nodded and the Genesis Rangers rushed in battle, hundreds of slaves watching with amazement.

The Rangers fought with everything they had, taking out Ooze Men left and right with the enhanced strength, speed, and fighting skills granted to them by the Morphing Grid. But soon, the purple creatures began to reform and even multiply; tripling in number Each Ranger now faced a small group of them. It was time for weapons.

"Titan Saber! At Zordon's command, a gleaming white and gold sword appeared in his hands. Forged from the sharpest metals of multiple galaxies, it could cut through nearly anything. Zordon quickly began slashing the Ooze men into bits.

"My turn" Quasar announced excitedly. "Pyro Mace!" A crimson red mace formed in his hands, the ball attachment being coated with flame. He began swinging and each Ooze Man it struck was incinerated on contact.

"Drago Blaster!" A small blue cannon topped with a silver dragon head appeared in Borgon's hands and he began blasting out a steady stream of blue flame that had the Ooze Men writhing in agony.

Cronos next yelled "Necro Axe!" As the black battle axe formed in hand, the Black Ranger gave a war cry. He slashed his way through the Ooze Men with a brutality never before seen, and eventually slammed his weapon on the ground, unleashing a wave of energy that vaporized several of them at once.

"Bi-Beast Gauntlets!" Dulcea screamed as the gloves of her Ranger suit grew larger. Each one now held the image of a lion and eagle respectively. As Ooze Men swarmed her, the gauntlets began to glow and Dulcea threw punches. A yellow Griffin energy construct shot out of each fist and obliterated the Ooze Men. Each time this happened, a lion's roar mixed with an eagle cry was heard and Dulcea felt the spirit of the griffin within her.

Finally, Jarella called out "Magistaff!" As the long pink staff appeared in her hands, the Pink Ranger knew she now had a mastery of elemental magic. As some Ooze Men surrounded her, she smirked beneath her helmet. This was going to be fun.

"Lightning power!" At Jarella's command, five bolts of lightning rained down, turning the Ooze Men surrounding her to dust. She then destroyed two more with earth power, summoning two massive vines that crushed them easily. Next Jarella summoned water and wind, sweeping some away with a giant wave and then changing into a miniature tornado to bowl through the rest.

Seeing they were clearly outmatched, the remaining Ooze Men teleported away. Cronos attempted to pursue them but Zordon stopped him. " Let them go, we have more important matters to attend to at the moment." Cronos glared but the White Ranger paid him no heed and turned to the others.

"Quasar, Jarella, and Dulcea will free the slaves" Zordon ordered then turned to the Blue Ranger. "Borgon, didn't you say you found something interesting in your pouch?" Borgon nodded and pulled out a small blue grenade. "There are at least a dozen" he reported to Zordon "it's like the Masters prepared for this."

Zordon nodded and said "you, Cronos, and I will destroy the camp with these bombs. The others can prepare to teleport the slaves and themselves out." The rest of the Rangers nodded and the plan was set in motion but as she teleported away with the others, Dulcea silently hoped Zordon knew what he was doing.

Soon, the Rangers and hundreds of slaves materialized several yards away from the camp, just as it and the incomplete Ectomorphicon Titan were destroyed in a ball of fire. Everyone waited with still breath for the arrival of the remaining Rangers. Had they made it out in time? Finally, the Black, White, and Blue Rangers teleported in as everyone cheered.

In spite of herself, Dulcea embraced Zordon in a hug the minute she saw him. "Scare me like that again and I'll beat you into a coma! She hissed in a hushed tone. Zordon smiled beneath his helmet. "Even death couldn't keep me away from you" he whispered back.

Turning his attention to the slaves, Zordon announced "You are free. Tell your people that in forty eight hours, Ivan Ooze will be no more. The Power Rangers swear it!"

As the Rangers teleported away, the crowd cheered. Salvation had come at last for Mercuria. The young slave Tyrax looked to the sky and smiled. He had found his heroes for life.

...

In the next two days, the Rangers made good on their promise. They teleported around the planet battling Ivan's forces and destroying his slave camps. In the process, they also made sure to destroy Ivan's Ectomorphicon Titans before they were completed. With each defeat, the demon-warlock's anger grew.

When Ivan first heard the news, he was astonished. The master told him of the Order and their plans to create super soldiers powered by the Grid but he had scoffed, thinking it impossible. Now he sat on his throne fuming. A decade's work destroyed in nearly two days!

"Those Rangers will be destroyed so thoroughly, it will be as if they never existed!" Ivan growled to himself "their entire brief legacy will be obliterated! By all that is evil, I swear it!" Regaining some of his composure, Ivan set about the task at hand: finding the Rangers' current location.

Ivan's eyes began to glow as he recited a spell. "By the power of darkness, show me the Power Rangers!" A vision of the Rangers appeared before him, showing them trekking through the desert. It took Ivan only a moment to realize they were headed towards his palace.

As the vision faded, the demon-warlock laughed darkly. "So they've finally taken the fight to the front line, have they? Well, I had best see that they get a warm reception." Standing up from his throne, Ivan cast another spell, one of the strongest he knew.

"By the power of darkness, fallen warriors rise!" Purple energy erupted from Ivan's body as he completed the spell, shooting up and spreading out across the planet. The demon-warlock laughed wickedly when he saw this, knowing victory would soon be his.

...

The Genesis Rangers, now unmorphed, to conserve energy, stood upon a large mountain and looked out over the horizon. They could see Ivan's palace looming in the distance, more terrifying than anything they had ever seen. All they had done had led up to this moment. The final battle was upon them at last.

"This is it" Zordon said solemnly "today, Ivan Ooze falls." "Can we really defeat him?" Quasar asked, doubt creeping into his voice "his power is said to be unmatched and hordes of warriors have fallen to him in battle. Most of them are buried beneath this very desert."

Cronos snorted "bah, those warriors were amateurs and cowards. Ivan is a magic user and everyone knows that magic users are physically weaklings. They fight their battles with spells and potions. Take that away from them, they have no chance in a real fight. Just look at Jarella, without her staff, she's nothing."

Jarella whipped her head around and was about to point out that she was first thrashing Ooze Men without her staff when Dulcea spoke up. "No matter what he is Cronos, we cannot underestimate Ivan or it will be our downfall." She then turned to Quasar and said "we must also have faith, the Morphing Masters chose us for a reason." "Besides" Borgon added "none of those other warriors had the Morphing Grid on their side."

Quasar said nothing but found comfort in these words. "It's agreed then?" Zordon asked "we're all ready?" Everyone nodded and Zordon smiled. Then and there, he spoke three words that would rally future Power Rangers for generations: "it's morphing time!"

Raising their morphers to the sky, the cry went out: "power of the Morphing Grid! Titan! Chimara! Dragon! Cerberus! Griffin! Unicorn!"

In a burst of light, they transformed into fully morphed Power Rangers, ready for battle. Before they could plan their next move however, the earth shook. A huge bolt of purple lightning struck the desert and the Rangers watched in horror as hundreds of undead warriors burst from the sand. In life, they had pledged to kill Ivan but now they were little more than the demon-warlock's puppets. Leading them was Tyrax's father, sword in hand.

"Looks like Ivan knows we're coming" Quasar quipped as they summoned their Power Weapons. As the undead warriors climbed up the mountain in search of prey, the Rangers tore into them. All except Cronos felt saddened at having to fight once honorable men and women. They fought their way down the mountain and as the last corpse crumbled to dust, the Rangers soon found themselves at Ivan's door step.

As Quasar destroyed the door with his Pyro Mace, The Rangers entered and were greeted by legions of Ooze Men. more than any they had fought before. "Don't let their numbers intimidate you!" Zordon ordered "this is what we trained for!" Charging up their Power Weapons to full strength, the heroes rushed into battle.

They tore through each and every Ooze Man that attacked, Zordon leading the way with his Titan Saber. Quasar and Borgon burned them away with their respective fire weapons and Cronos cleaved them in two with his Necros Axe. Dulcea punched her way through them with her Bi-Beast Gauntlets and Jarella used her Magistaff's newly dicovered ice power to freeze them solid and shatter them.

After all the fighting, the Rangers finally arrived at a large double door with a demonic face carved into it. They instinctively knew it was the doorway to Ivan's throne room. Evil practically radiated from it. Taking a collective breath, the Rangers prepared to face destiny.

Slashing through the door with his Titan Saber, Zordon was the first to see Ivan sitting on his throne. The demon warlock was nonchalantly drinking from a smoking goblet when he noticed them. "Oh, you're finally here" he stated in a bored tone as he got up to meet them "what kept you?" Under his helmet, the White Ranger scowled as he beheld his father's killer.

"Ivan Ooze, your reign ends here" Zordon proclaimed while trying to keep his rage in check "in the name of the Order of Meledon, you are under arrest!" Ivan merely laughed at this threat. "Nice speech kid, you remind me of that old wizard who attacked me on Eltar. What was his name again? Barza?"

Hearing this, Zordon flew into a rage. The White Ranger rushed at Ivan and caught him off guard, slashing him across the chest. Following their leader, Quasar attacked with his Pyro Mace while Borgon and Jarella joined in for a Tri-Blaze Assault. Jarella had found her Magistaff gave her power over fire as well. Cronos charged his Necro Axe with energy and hurled it at Ivan while Dulcea sent out a griffin energy construct with her Bi Beast Gauntlets, all in an attempt to overwhelm the demon warlock.

Ivan stumbled backwards and clutched his chest. A large wound dripping with black blood could be seen in his torso. While the Rangers were shocked that their assault had done so little, Ivan was furious. No one had ever managed to wound him before...ever.

"You kids just made a big mistake" the demon warlock said in a low voice "you've made me angry...very angry!" Letting out a roar of rage, Ivan charged.

The battle that followed proved Ivan was as dangerous as he appeared. The demon warlock fought the Rangers to a standstill without casting a single spell. But the Rangers were strong and determined, giving as good as they got. Ivan soon became frustrated when he couldn't gain the upper hand.

Eventually, the demon warlock unleashed a massive blast of purple lightning that knocked the heroes through the walls of the palace, down into the desert below. "What was that you said about magic users being weak?" Quasar asked Cronos sarcastically. The Black Ranger had no reply.

As the Genesis Rangers got to their feet, the image of Ivan's face formed in the sky above, grinning down at them mockingly. "You know, you kids have been a pain but it's been a while since I had a real challenge. To thank you, I've decided to let you go out in style. Ectomorphicon Titans, arise!"

At Ivan's command, the earth shook. The Rangers were confused but it soon turned to fear as two hulking silver robotic monsters burst from the ground. One was modeled after a deadly scorpion while the other was a hornet. They towered over the Rangers, radiating menace.

"Meet Scorpitron and Hornitor" Ivan announced proudly "the most powerful of my Ectomorphicon Titans. They were far too advanced to leave to the slaves so I built them underground. You Rangers may have destroyed the rest of the fleet but that doesn't matter. With these two alone, the universe is mine for the taking!"

The Titans began to attack and seeing no alternative, the Rangers charged them. But their Power Weapons did little damage and physical attacks were useless. Ivan laughed as he watched the Rangers become forced into a retreat. "You can run kiddies, but you can't hide!"

Dodging energy blasts, the Rangers were forced to take shelter in a nearby cave. They could hear the rumble of giant footsteps as the Titans made their way across the desert landscape. "It's over" Zordon muttered sadly as he removed his helmet "we've failed." "This can't be it" Dulcea argued "we've trained too hard for it to end like this!" "No amount of grenades could destroy those things now that they're activated" Borgon spoke up sadly "Ooze was three steps ahead of us the entire time."

"Well, I'm not giving up" Quasar announced "Dulcet is right. We can't let it end here!" "I'm with you" Jarella added "we have to trust in the Masters' faith in us." Cronos was outraged. "The Masters are fools! They should have foreseen this!"

"Oh, but we did" a voice spoke from nowhere. The Rangers turned to see transparent images of the Morphing Masters floating before them, glowing with multicolored light. Zordon shamefully bowed. "Masters...we have failed you."

"No, you have not" The Red Master replied "it is time for you to access the part of your arsenal created for situations like this. Behold!" Instantly, new images came into being before the Rangers' eyes of giant mechanical creatures modeled after their Grid Avatars. Each one shared the same color scheme as their respective Ranger.

"These specially designed battle mecha are powered by the Grid and are the most powerful tools at your disposal" the Red Master explained. "They came into being the minute you first morphed and were hidden away on the planet Zordnia until they were needed. Because of that, we call them Zords. Use these against the Titans in battle."

"But how do we get them?" Zordon asked "we can't just teleport to Zordnia and back. Ivan will lay waste to the planet in that time!" "Call them and they will hear you" the Pink Master spoke up, her voice carrying a bit of a smile.

The Masters vanished and Zordon looked at his team, putting his helmet back on as he did. Instinctively, they knew what to do. "Zords, arise!" At this command, six streams of light cut through the dark clouds of the planet and touched down on the desert, forming six massive shapes.

From his position in the sky, the disembodied head of Ivan Ooze noticed this. What sort of creatures were these? There was the humanoid Titan Zord, the Chimara Zord which resembled a lion-headed creature with a goat's legs and a snake for a tail, the three headed Cerberus Zord, the fearsome Dragon Zord, the mighty Griffin Zord, and the graceful but powerful Unicorn Zord. Each Ranger teleported into the cockpit of their own personal Zord and prepared for battle, the Grid giving them the knowledge needed to pilot each machine.

"Alright team; let's show Ivan what we can really do!" At Zordon's command, the first Zords, known to future generations as the Genesis Zords, charged into battle. The Titan, Chimara, Cerberus, and Unicord Zords ran across the desert while the Dragon and Griffin Zords flew through the air. Ivan saw this and sneered.

"Back for more, are you? Titans, destroy those creatures! The twin mecha leaped into battle, splitting the fight into two fronts. Zordon, Quasar, Cronos and Jarella faced Scopitron while Borgon and Dulcea dueled Hornitor in the air.

The Titan Zord tossed boulders which distracted Scorpitron long enough for the Chimara Zord to launch a ball of fire from its mouth at the deadly mecha, stunning it. Scorpitron retaliated by firing a beam of energy from its tail which the Rangers had difficulty avoiding. After a few moments of this, the Unicorn Zord fired a powerful beam from its horn which destroyed the tip of Scorpitron's tail, which the laser was built into. This was the Cerberus Zord's cue to pounce, ripping the mecha apart with as much ferocity as its owner.

from above, Hornitor unleashed it own barrage of blasts from its stinger. The Dragon and Griffin Zords weaved through the air to avoid the attacks, periodically striking Hornitor when close enough. The Dragon Zord then unleashed a stream of blue flame from its mouth while the Griffin Zord's feathers shot out like missiles. Hornitor was destroyed instantly by the combined assault.

"We...we did it?" Borgon stammered "we won?" Dulcea smiled beneath her helmet and looked down below, watching the others destroy Scorpitron as she said "yes, and just in time it seems."

The two arial Zords streaked down to join the others, standing in perfect formation. "It's over" Zordon breathed a sigh of relief "it's finally over."

But something still wasn't right and Quasar was the first to notice it. "Uh...guys? Where's Ivan?" Before anyone could answer, the ground began to quake.

Ivan's hideous laughter rang through the air as the lightning increased. Purple slime came from the ground, consuming Scorpitron's remains and rising up into a massive purple mound that began forming a humanoid shape. The Rangers watched in horror as a giant version of Ivan Ooze stood before them, clad in armor made from Scorpitron's remains.

"I'll finish you Rangers myself!" Ivan roared in a booming voice and rushed at them.

The Rangers once again found themselves pummeled as their Zords were smacked around by Ivan, It seemed the demon warlock's new form was easily ten times stronger than normal.

The Rangers groaned from inside their cockpits after being hurled across the desert by Ivan. The demon warlock was fast approaching and it was a struggle to get the Zords upright. "We've got to hurry!" Zordon yelled "we need a new tactic and fast!"

"All Zords are at twenty five percent power" Borgon reported "and auxiliary power won't activate for some reason." "The Masters helped us out before, why not now?" Quasar complained. The image of the Red Master suddenly appeared and said "there is one other option Rangers. Press a red button on each of your control panels and the Zords combine into a Megazord. It is extremely powerful but uses all auxiliary power and should only be used in an emergency."

The Red Master vanished and Zordon spoke to his team. "I think this qualifies. Activate Megazord sequence!" Each of the Rangers pressed a red button on their controls and their Zords started to combine together.

The Titan Zord bulked up and became more muscular looking as the arms and legs detached themselves. The Dragon and Griffin Zords transformed into the arms while the Chimara and Unicorn Zords became the legs. Finally, the three heads of the Cerberus Zord descended with two mounting themselves on the forming Megazord's shoulders while the third became a helmet and landed on the head. The Genesis Megazord, the first Megazord, was ready for action.

Now seated in their new combined cockpit, the Rangers were amazed. They could feel power, THE Power, all around them. "Auxiliary power is online" Borgon reported cheerfully "all systems are operating at peak efficiency." "And just in time too" Quasar added as he glanced Ivan approaching.

Fearlessly, the Megazord marched towards its foe. When Ivan saw the newcomer, he laughed. "What is this, another trick? Bring it tin man!"

The two giants clashed, the force of their blows echoing across the desert. This time however, the Megazord clearly had the edge. The Megazord fired off twin blasts from the heads on its shoulders in an attempt to finish it but Ivan blocked the attack with giant dual swords that appeared in his hand. Seeing this, Zordon commanded "activate Grid Blade, now!"

A giant silver sword, even more impressive than Zordon's Titan Saber, appeared in the Megazord's hand. It was charged with power from the Grid itself and was the universe's greatest weapon against evil. Blade in hand, the Megazord easily disarmed Ivan and prepared to finish him. For the first time in six thousand years, the demon warlock felt fear as he heard Zordon yell "full power, now!"

Instantly, the Grid Blade began to glow with Morphing Grid energy. In one swift motion, the Magazord brought it down on Ivan. The demon warlock's scream echoed as his body imploded.

Sheathing its weapon, the Genesis Megazord stood triumphant. It was finally over: Ivan Ooze was dead. Each of the Rangers, even Cronos, let out a thunderous cheer at their victory. Zordon's gaze shifted to the heavens and he smiled beneath his helmet. He hoped that somewhere, His father was watching and was proud.

...

A few days later, Mercuria was beginning to recover and the Rangers stood before the Masters once again. "Well done Rangers, Ivan Ooze has successfully been defeated and Mercuria is free after six thousand years. You truly are the champions of legend." There was immense pride in the White Master's voice as he spoke. He could not have been prouder of his own children.

"Unfortunately, this is not the last battle you will have" the Red Master spoke up "We have sensed an evil far greater than Ivan Ooze working behind the scenes in recent years." The Rangers were shocked. Who could be worse than Ivan Ooze? "We feel a second Great War is on the horizon" the Pink Master continued "we wish for you to retain your powers and fight in the War for the side of good." "But Masters" Quasar spoke up "we just barely beat Ivan. How can we hope to win a war? We barely have enough resources as it is."

The Masters seemed to smile at this. "You shall have all the resources you need Red Ranger" the Red Master said "behold your Command Center." The Rangers were soon teleported to a large technology rich fortress alongside their mentors. Computers and machines more advanced than anything in several galaxies filled the room. There was even a simulation chamber for training like the one on Eltar and rooms for each Ranger. There was also a lower level to house their Zords.

"This will be your headquarters and new home" the Yellow Master said "your home worlds are much too far apart to risk continuous teleportation." "When there is trouble, we will contact you via the viewing globe" the Blue Master said. He pointed to the round apparatus in the corner of the center, glowing with white light. "We know we ask a lot of you Rangers, but we have faith" the Red Master spoke next "when the first Masters discovered the Grid, they named it so because it could change the universe and we believe you can too."

The Rangers took these words to heart. After a few moments, Zordon stepped forward. The Masters could tell he spoke for everyone with his next words: "We accept." The Age of Power had begun.

...

In the darkest depths of reality, a massive force of evil watched the scene unfold. He was Dark Specter, the spiritual embodiment of the long dead race known as the Akuma. It was he who created Ivan Ooze six thousand years ago and unleashed him upon the universe to cause destruction in his name. He had also been monitoring the Masters in their project to create Grid powered super soldiers, hoping they would fail. He never expected anything like this.

"So, the Morphing Masters have succeeded in creating their champions" Dark Specter rumbled "then it is time to gather my forces as well. Ivan was overconfident but I will not make that mistake. In the name of the Akuma, the forces of good will fall to the United Alliance of Evil!"

Part 2: The Age of Power

And so, the second Great War began. New evil forces began emerging across the universe, claiming loyalty to Dark Specter and his Alliance. The self-proclaimed Grand Monarch of Evil had promised each of them their own empires provided they obeyed when called upon. The few independent evils left in the universe had either already joined Dark Specter out of fear or been destroyed to avoid competition.

Fighting against the Alliance was of course, the Genesis Rangers. They faced monsters that would have made the Power Rangers of modern times frozen with fear. Each day seemed the same for the Rangers: get up, train, get called by the Masters about the latest crisis, morph, and teleport to the newest planet in distress, fight whoever needed to be fought, and go home to start the cycle the next day.

While none of their current foes were a match for Ivan Ooze, the Rangers found their struggles against the Alliance growing harder each day. Dark Specter had taught his subjects how to create hordes of monsters to add to their ranks and even ways to make them grow into giants when battling the Zords. The Grand Monarch felt this was a step up from Ivan's tactics of continuous OoZe Men and caused more panic amongst the people. The one who caused the most terror this way was Goldgoyle, one of Dark Specter's most powerful minions.

However, the Rangers were improving their own skills as well. Through daily training, they became more connected to the Morphing Grid and used it to enhance their natural skills. Zordon in particular benefited from this. Because magic operated on a similar wavelength to the Grid, he was able to use it to enhance his natural magical abilities, eventually becoming more powerful than even his father.

Jarella, Quasar, and Cronos also became well versed in the mystic arts, becoming minor sorcerers in their own right. Dulcea learned that the Griffin was her Animal Spirit as well as her Grid Avatar and via the Grid, learned how to channel it more easily. With Zordon's aid, she created scrolls that would allow others to do the same with their own Animal Spirits. Borgon was only interested in using the Grid to improve their arsenal anyway he could. All this helped them gain a victory every time.

One day, several years after Ivan Ooze's first assault there, the Rangers were called to Eltar. After reconstructing their world, the Eltarians now understood their neutral stance in the affairs of the universe was their downfall. Shortly after Ivan's Ooze's defeat, they had begun forging alliances with the various worlds in their galaxy, offering defense secrets Recently, a group of nobles from the Kerova System had contacted the new Grand Council and asked for aid in building up their military. Fearful of outside opposition from the United Alliance of Evil, the Morphing Masters sent their champions to oversee delegations.

As the Rangers appeared on Eltar's surface in civilian form, each one had their own views of the place. "So this is Eltar huh? Nice place." Quasar noted.

"Nice is a major understatement Quasar" Jarella said "it's beautiful!" The Pink Ranger had never seen anything like the crystal city of Majero, even after so many years as a Ranger. "It is rather impressive" Borgon added "the construction must have been very complex." Cronos just grunted, clearly not impressed while Zordon was silent. All Eltar did was remind him of the night he lost his father and of his rough childhood growing up.

Sensing her leader {and now lover's} discomfort, Dulcea placed a comforting hand on Zordon's shoulder. "It'll be fine" she whispered in a soothing tone "things are different now and so are you. You are a warrior now and deserve the highest respect." Zordon smiled. Dulcea always knew just what to say.

"Besides" she added in a {semi} joking tone "anyone who dares to insult you will answer to me." Zordon laughed and pulled his love into a passionate kiss. Quasar pretended to gag. "Get a room you two" he joked, earning himself a slap on the head from Jarella.

Everyone chuckled at this before Cronos spoke up. "I don't see why the Masters wanted us here anyway. Eltar seems perfectly capable of protecting itself, particularly with their new Bio-Shield." One of Eltar's first new defense measures was the Bio-Shield, created by a joint effort from their best scientists and wizards. It was an immense energy barrier that surrounded the planet, designed to detect and repel any source of evil. It was virtually impenetrable and neither magic nor technology could touch it...or so the Grand Council claimed.

"In my father's day, Eltar thought it was invincible too" Zordon spoke up bitterly "they soon learned otherwise. The forces of darkness are cunning and at their strongest when they're underestimated. The Morphing Masters know this and that's why we're here. Never drop your guard for anything."

...

In the vast blackness of space, a massive skull shaped ship streaked the galaxy towards Eltar. In this ship, a sinister figure sat perched upon a throne, waiting to arrive at his destination. He was monstrous in appearance with gold skin and a hideous face that was half black and half gold. Two huge growths could be seen extending from opposite ends of his skull and a dark cloak concealed most of his body from view. He was Victor Vile, also known as Master Vile, dark wizard and ruler of the M-51 Galaxy.

Master Vile was a young man then with no glasses or wrinkles and was just a bit taller. He was also a rising figure in the ranks of evil who had yet to conquer anything outside his own galaxy. That was why he now traveled to Eltar. If he could conquer such a powerful world when even Ivan Ooze never completely did and pave the way to conquer the Kerova System, he would surely become a member of the United Alliance of Evil and gain the respect he deserved.

Vile chuckled when he thought of Ivan Ooze, his former master. Years ago, Ivan came to the M-51 Galaxy to conquer it but on orders from Dark Specter, instead kidnapped one child and trained him in the ways of dark magic. Vile was that child, then a humanoid in appearance and an orphan. In time, Vile soon grew to equal his master in terms of power and feeling threatened, Ivan attempted to destroy him. Vile cast a counter spell in defense and ended up transported to his home world of Gamma, which he easily conquered with his power and renamed Gamma-Vile.

As fate would have it, Ivan soon forgot his old apprentice and Vile was free to conquer the rest of the galaxy. To accomplish this, he forged an alliance with a powerful witch who worshipped the demon Lokar but she would only agree if he married her and sired a daughter in her name. Though shocked, Vile agreed but shortly after his daughter's birth, one of his spells backfired on him and mutated him into his current form. He stopped trying to reverse it years ago when he saw the fear it brought his enemies.

Vile was pulled out of his memories by a loud shriek. "Daddy!" The dark wizard grimaced as his daughter, apprentice witch Rita Repulsa, entered his quarters. Vile's race didn't believe in family names but rather bound kin together by similar traits. He was vile while his daughter was repulsive.

In these days, Rita was only eight years old by her shared races' standards. She wore her trademark dress but no bra or hair cones, allowing her dark hair to flow. She was also undergoing training by her mother and was rather clumsy at casting spells.

"What is it daughter?" Vile asked, dreading the answer. Rita was also known as the ultimate brat and cried over every little thing. Just last month, he and his wife had presented her with a fine specimen of dragon for her birthday and were rewarded with a tantrum. The brat then used the very same dragon to burn down their palace, claiming she wanted a planet to rule instead. Even with magic, it had taken them days to rebuild.

"It's Rito!" Vile heard his daughter snap; bringing him back to the present "he keeps crying and interrupting my lessons! Make him stop!" Vile groaned. Not needing this right now. "Where's your mother?"

"Right here" a scratchy voice spoke up. Vile turned to see his wife, the dark witch Mistress Bandora Repugna, standing in the doorway, a baby skeleton roughly being cradled in her arms and crying away. Bandora looked similar to the way her daughter would look as an adult except her dress was black and her hair cones more resembled demonic horns. A scowl was written all over her face, which she had altered with magic to hide her true age.

The baby she held was her son Rito Revolto. The unfortunate result of Vile siring a child after his mutation. Due to the dark wizard's altered genetics, Rito was born a living skeleton. It was doubtful that he would ever amount to anything in his parents' empire.

"Can't you do something about this brat? Bandora asked "he's giving me a headache!" Vile rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers and making a crib appear in the corner. Bandora roughly dropped her son in the crib and faced her husband "are we near Eltar?" "Yes, be prepared to summon Lokar. Only he can dismantle the Bio-Shield."

Bandora nodded and then turned to her daughter. "Come along Rita darling, It's time you learned how to summon the master." Rita nodded and followed her mother obediently back to Bandora's private quarters where she cast her spells. Vile watched them go and shook his head. Bandora seemed to be the only one Rita would listen too.

Returning to the task at hand, Vile summoned his general. "Arachnion, come here!" In a burst of flame, a humanoid man in gold scorpion armor appeared before him and bowed. "Yes my lord?"

Arachnion was Vile's general and best warrior. He was also a distant cousin of the rising warlord Scorpius and had served Vile since the early days of his master's rise to power. The proud general had no idea that loyalty would cost him his very life.

Vile didn't answer right away. He merely extended his hands, causing dark energy to erupt from them and form a dozen large purple eggs on the floor. The eggs contained Tengas, bird-like creatures that served as Vile's foot soldiers. Creating them was one of the first spells Vile learned from Ivan Ooze, though the demon warlock had no use for them, thinking them stupid and inferior. The longer Vile allowed them to mature before hatching, the stronger they would be once hatched. With time, Vile could make them as strong as his master's Ooze Men but he felt that was unnecessary here.

Returning his gaze to his general, Vile ordered "within the hour, Lokar will destroy Eltar's Bio-Shield at at the same time; a new batch of Tengas will be ready for battle. You will lead the assault on Eltar's capital and destroy anyone who gets in your way!" Arachnion bowed once more. "As you command sire. All that I do is in accordance to your will."

"Can I come daddy?" Vile and Arachnion turned to the new voice and saw Arachnion's daughter Scorpina, Rita's best {and only} friend. She was dressed in armor similar to her father and looking at him with a hopeful smile. Scorpina was Arachnion's only child and he had raised her himself after the death of his mate Spidera. Vile had allowed her presence on the ship with the condition that she keep Rita out of his hair and didn't get in the way of conquest. Arachnion currently trained her to take his place as general someday and serve as Rita's bodyguard.

Arachnion smiled down at his daughter and said "I'm afraid not Scorpina, this is far too dangerous a task for you. I do have something for you though." He pulled out a short sword and handed it to her. "Consider this your first real weapon" he explained with a smile "this sword has been handed down through our family for generations to its finest warriors. My father gave it to me and now I'm giving it to you."

Squealing with delight, Scorpina ran off to show Rita her prize. Arachnion smiled as he watched her go but was interrupted by Vile. "Enough sentimental mush general! Prepare for battle at once!"

...

The Rangers were bored. So far, The Grand Council and Kerovian nobles had treated their meeting like a cocktail party, entertaining each other with magic tricks and displays of telekinesis. They had begun discussing plans to create a robotic police force using their combined technology in the beginning of the meeting but it failed to go anywhere afterwards. Zordon had an axe to grind with the new Grand Council, who proved more stubborn and arrogant than their predecessors ever were.

The new Council consisted of young men barely older than Zordon himself. They were fresh from the Eltarian Academy and had gained their positions simply by filling the vacuum of power in a time of crisis. While some of their ideas had benefitted Eltar, Zordon knew their inexperience would be their undoing. After mere minutes of conversing with Yoro, the one who had taken his father's place, the White Ranger had to restrain himself from attacking the new Council Chief.

Zordon was about to walk over and see Dulcea when Yoro once again called him over to the conference table. "Zordon old chum, over here!" Cursing under his breath, Zordon obliged. "Yes Councilman Yoro?"

"The Council and I have thought of a wonderful new means of defense against Dark Specter's Alliance." "Such as?" The Councilman flashed him a winning smile and asked "tell me, how do those Power Coins of yours really work?" Zordon rolled his eyes, knowing where the conversation was headed.

"As I've said before Councilman, the Coins were forged centuries ago through a process too complex even for today's minds. I'm afraid creating more of them can't be done." Yoro frowned and said "come now, surely there's a trade secret to it. If only six Power Rangers can do so much against Dark Specter's forces, think about what an army of Power Rangers could do."

"One team of Rangers is more than enough" Zordon replied firmly "only a select group of individuals can handle the Power." "You won't live forever" Yoro replied bluntly "surely you would select successors." Zordon's eyes narrowed, his temper rising. "I question why you would need an army of Power Rangers when you claim how invincible Eltar's Bio-Shield is" he replied curtly "perhaps you mean to use them to conquer the universe for yourself?"

Yoro's own eyes narrowed, all good humor gone from his voice. "Watch yourself Zordon. As a citizen of Eltar, you are under my authority no matter who you are. We merely wish to have additional security measures for ourselves and our allies. How can you, deny us that much even after what happened to Barza?"

Zordon stiffened at his father's name. Why couldn't they understand that the rest of the universe wasn't ready for the Power? He was about to retort when the room shook violently, knocking everyone to the ground. As Zordon and the other Rangers got to their feet, they knew it was trouble.

...

Onboard Master Vile's ship, Bandora was casting a spell to bring Lokar out of Hell, or Shadow World as most demons called it. Rita and Scorpina looked on with wicked grins plastered on their faces. Rita in particular was filled with dark glee as she watched her mother. Bandora was her hero and she wanted to be just as powerful as her one day.

"Oh mighty Lokar, lord of the realm of shadows, your humble servant beckons." Bandora recited from her book of spells, her voice seeming to echo as it did so "make your presence known to the realm of mortals and aid those who serve your cause. Destroy that which protects Eltar from darkness!"

The skies above Eltar became black as pitch as lightning flashed all around. In a single burst of red energy, the disembodied head of Lokar appeared and laughed evilly. "Tremble at the wrath of Lokar mortals! The demon's voice boomed as the frightened Eltarians screamed in terror.

Sensing trouble, the Genesis Rangers rushed outside and were followed by Yoro, much to Zordon's chagrin. "Councilman, what are you doing here! You'll be killed!" Yoro merely laughed. "Doesn't worry, the Bio-Shield will repel any technology or magic used against it? It will take more than some wizard's party trick to change that."

"That's no wizard" Jarella cried worriedly "that's a demon!" Smirking down at them, Lokar exhaled his Breath of Doom onto the Bio-Shield. To Yoro's shock, the shield was instantly destroyed. Around that same time, Master Vile watched with glee as his new batch of Tengas were fully hatched. Eltar would soon be his.

"What do we do!" Yoro shrieked "this shouldn't be happening! What could be worse!" At that moment, Arachnion appeared with his army of Tengas. "Surrender to the House of Vile Eltarians, or suffer the consequences!"

Quasar turned to Yoro and glared. "You had to say it, didn't you?" The councilman merely screamed and ran off, leaving the Rangers to face their foe. Zordon turned to his team and asked "ready?" "Ready!"

"Power of the Morphing Grid! Titan! Chimara! Dragon! Cerberus! Griffin! Unicorn!"

In a flash of light, the six morphed into the Genesis Rangers, ready for battle. "Ah, the famous Power Rangers" Arachnion said, clearly unimpressed "and here I thought Eltar would be a bore. Tengas, destroy them!" The Tengas were strong but no match for the Rangers. They didn't even need their Power Weapons to beat them.

While his team fought off the Tengas, Zordon summoned his Titan Saber and charged Arachnion. In response, the general unsheathed a broadsword he called Venomcaliber. Aside from the one he had given his daughter, it was his favored weapon in battle and had never been beaten. Raising it up, Arachnion blocked a slash from the Titan Saber and the two began an intense duel.

As the two swords clashed, Arachnion was pleasantly surprised to find Zordon was his equal. It had been many years since his last truly tough fight and he thrilled to the challenge. "You are a skilled warrior for an Eltarian" he hissed to the White Ranger "perhaps the master could use you in his army after he takes your home world." "I will never serve evil" Zordon growled "least of all a demon!"

"You speak of Lokar" Arachnion replied "he is powerful but useless without someone to summon him. I serve Master Vile, the lord of evil and ruler of Galaxy M-51. You would know of his mentor, Ivan Ooze?" At the mention of his old foe, Zordon went berserk and startling slashing wildly at Arachnion. The general took advantage of the

Situation and soon gained the edge in the duel.

"Letting your emotions get the better of you is a mistake in battle White Ranger" Arachnion said as he knocked the Tian Saber from Zordon's hands and forced him to the ground "one that could cost you your life." Zordon received a shock however when Arachnion sheathed his sword. " Stand and retrieve your weapon" the general commanded "I will not dishonor myself by killing a helpless opponent." Zordon was stunned that Arachnion had a sense of honor. Could such a man truly be evil?

Before the White Ranger could contemplate this or even make a move, Cronos rushed at Arachnion from nowhere. The general found himself completely overwhelmed by the Black Ranger as he was caught off guard, suffering multiple blows from the Necro Axe. Arachnion staggered backwards and clutched at the wound in his chest, a trail of green blood oozing from it. Cronos smiled a twisted smile beneath his helmet as he relished the feeling of battle.

"Do you know what another mistake in battle is?" The Black Ranger asked mockingly "focusing on killing a soft-hearted fool and ignoring a true warrior." Arachnion grew angry. "How dare you interfere with my battle! I shall teach you to dishonor me!" "Looking forward to it" Cronos quipped and charged the general once more.

As Zordon got to his feet, he was shocked at the brutal way Cronos fought with Arachnion. The Black Ranger was utterly ruthless and almost sadistic with each attack. Zordon always knew Cronos was filled with anger but he never expected this. Was he always this way and Zordon had somehow never noticed?

Cronos finally knocked Venomcaliber from his opponent's hands and held his Necro Axe over Arachnion's head. For the first time in years, the general felt true fear. "Please, have mercy! I do only what my master commands of me! I have a daughter to care for and I'm all she has, that's the only reason I serve Master Vile, I swear!"

Cronos laughed darkly. " Parents are overrated, trust me. Death Slash!" At the Black Ranger's command, his axe blade glowed with dark energy and with a quick slash, Arachnion imploded, giving a horrible scream as he did so.

Cronos turned and walked back towards Zordon, who looked horrified beneath his helmet. "What did you just do!" "What you couldn't, apparently" the Black Ranger replied coldly. Zordon glared and said "you know what I mean; you murdered him in cold blood!" "Like I said" Cronos replied evenly "doing what you couldn't."

...

Onboard Master Vile's ship, Scorpina was outraged. She had been watching her father fight Zordon via Bandora's crystal ball and cheering him on when Cronos appeared. "The Black Ranger destroyed daddy!" Scorpina growled "I'll kill him myself! Send me down there Mrs. Bandora!"

Bandora chuckled. "There there Scorpina dear, all is not lost. Your father can be revived and made to finish the job. Master Lokar can most certainly see to that."

So saying, Bandora returned to her book of spells and readied another incantation. "Lokar, lord of the world of shadows, hear my plea. Return to us the one called Arachnion and grant him the strength of your most powerful demon hordes so that he may smite the enemies of darkness!" Thunder rumbled from nowhere and Bandora smiled knowingly. The master had heard and would answer her prayer.

...

Back on Eltar, Zordon and Cronos continued to argue over the fate of Arachnion. "He was a father!" Zordon yelled to his comrade "he said himself the only reason he served this Master Vile is because of his daughter! What if she's a hostage!"

"It was just a sob story" Cronos grunted in response "a coward's trick to avoid death." "He asked for mercy" Zordon countered "compassion is what separates us from Dark Specter and his ilk. If we don't have that, what do we have?" "Compassion is a weakness Zordon, nothing more." Cronos sneered "and I don't recall hearing any such lectures from you when we destroyed Ivan Ooze or any of the monsters in Dark Specter's army. You most certainly wanted to kill Ooze yourself."

Zordon's voice grew hard as he next spoke, his words barely above a whisper. "Ivan Ooze and those monsters were soulless abominations created to serve evil, the one you killed was a living being! He had a soul! He was human!"

Before Cronos could respond, a clap of thunder caught their attention. The two Rangers watched as Lokar once again appeared in the sky and unleashed his Breath of Doom. Almost instantly, Arachnion appeared fully resurrected, Zordon and Cronos were stunned and unsure of their next move until the revived general doubled over in pain.

Arachnion screamed in agony as dark energy surrounded his body and he mutated into a giant Scorpion monster, similar to what his daughter would become under Rita's command. "You say he was human? Looks like you spoke too soon" Cronos sarcastically commented to Zordon. Before the White Ranger could respond however, the other Rangers appeared, having finally beaten the Tengas.

"Looks like we caught up just in time" Borgon observed "shall we summon the Zords?" Zordon hesitated a moment, then said "yes. Zords, arise!" The Genesis Zords appeared, ready for battle as the Rangers entered them.

They charged into battle but Arachnion's new form was tough, forcing the Rangers to form the Genesis Megazord. With a slash from the Grid Blade, the general was finished for good but Zordon felt no joy in this victory. He felt only guilt and the familiar ache of having lost a parent. But nothing felt worse than knowing he had inflicted this pain upon another.

...

An enraged Master Vile made his way to his wife's quarters, itching to destroy the next thing that moved. Sensing their master's distress, Tengas hid themselves as best they could within the ship's corridors. The dark wizard burst into Bandora's quarters to find his wife staring nonchalantly into her crystal ball and Rita trying to comfort a crying Scorpina in the corner. "I hope you're happy Bandora" Vile snarled "that thing you worship failed us and I've lost my best general! What do you plan to do about it!"

Bandora glared at her husband. "The master was not at fault" she declared firmly "this was just an unforeseen difficulty. I had hoped you would find a challenge invigorating after all this time of easy conquest." Vile was silent at that. It had been almost too easy conquering the M-51 Galaxy with lack of competition. Maybe this was a good thing.

"Besides, it's just one battle" Bandora continued "Lokar can summon monsters from the Shadow World far stronger than Arachnion was." Master Vile turned his back to his wife, lost in thought. The dark wizard was more than a little afraid of fighting those who had destroyed his old master, one of the most powerful beings of evil ever known. Finally, he turned to his family and announced "you are right about one thing Bandora. Those Rangers have won the battle but not the war!"

...

In the months that followed, Master Vile attacked Eltar again and again. Whole armies of Tengas attacked Majaro on a daily basis, each time led by a new monster summoned by Bandora. Time and time again, the Rangers rushed to defend the citizens of Eltar and the Kerovian nobles who were now stranded there thanks to an earlier attack that destroyed Eltar's space port. The Morphing Masters were not pleased with the Rangers' decision to stay as the United Alliance of Evil's attacks on other systems had since then gone unchecked but Zordon remained firm, refusing to leave his home in Vile's clutches. With aid from the Council, especially a humbled Yoro, the Rangers even constructed a temporary command center on Eltar to house them and their Zords.

Eventually, Master Vile became enraged at the constant defeats and he and Bandora decided to deal with the Rangers personally. The duo appeared to the Grand Council and challenged the Rangers to a final battle in the Eltarian desert to decide the planet's fate. Left with little choice, the Rangers accepted on the condition of no tricks. The dark wizard and his wife simply laughed arrogantly and agreed.

On the day of the battle, the Rangers found themselves utterly beaten by Vile and his wife. Zordon attempted to divide and conquer by having Quasar, Borgon, and Cronos join him in fighting Vile while Dulcea and Jarella fought Bandora but the dark wizard brushed the male Rangers aside easily. Likewise, Bandora had beaten Dulcea and was currently engaged in a magical duel with Jarella. The Pink Ranger tried her best but was no match for the dark witch's experience and quickly beaten.

Vile and Bandora laughed wickedly as the Rangers struggled to their feet. "Give up Rangers, you're finished!" Vile crowed "nothing you do can stand against us." "But since we're in such a good mood, we'll give you one free shot" Bandora cackled "think carefully about what you do next because it will be the last thing you ever do." Hearing this, the Rangers looked at one another, knowing this was their one chance.

"There must be something we can do" Quasar muttered "what about the Zords?" "not possible" Zordon replied "we've formed the Megazord so much lately that the Zords shut down to reboot. It'll be at least forty-eight hours until they're active again." "Just great" Cronos growled "thanks to a design flaw in those damn machines, Vile and that hag will crush us into paste!"

Dulcea seemed deep in thought when an idea came to her. "That's it, the Megazord! Borgon, didn't you say you were working on using the Megazord program on our weapons?" "You mean the Grid Cannon? It's untested!" The Blue Ranger exclaimed.

"Now is as good a time as any" Zordon muttered "what is it?" "I've been trying to combine our Power Weapons the way our Zords can" Borgon explained "it's meant as a way to reduce the need for our Zords and enhance our capacity for long range combat. I think I've got it figured out but it needs a field test." "Testing day came early pal" Quasar replied "let's do it!"

The other Rangers nodded and Borgon exhaled. "Okay, here it goes: Drago Blaster!" "Titan Saber!" "Pyro Mace!" "Bi-Beast Gauntlets!" "Necro Axe!" "Magistaff!"

The Rangers' Power Weapons appeared and were soon merged to form a new type of weapon: the Grid Cannon. Vile and Bandora saw this and simply laughed. "Lovely little toy Rangers" Bandora taunted "what do you intend to do with it?" "We intend to blast you into atoms" Cronos growled as he and the others proceeded to aim at the evil couple. "We do not intend to kill you" Zordon spoke, casting a glance at Cronos "but we will fire if needed. Leave Eltar at once and you will not be harmed."

Vile smirked and turned to Bandora. "Let's show them what we think of that, shall we my most dreadful darling?" The two unleashed a blast of dark magic at the Rangers which threatened to incinerate them on contact. Before Zordon could think of a plan, Cronos fired the Grid Cannon on full power.

A wave of pure Morphing Grid energy erupted from the cannon and cancelled out the oncoming attack, continuing onwards towards Vile and Bandora. The two villains shook with fear as they felt the raw power behind the assault. At that moment, Master Vile proved himself a coward by pushing his wife in front of him like a shield. "Victor! What are you doing!"

Vile merely smirked at the enraged dark witch. "Forgive me my dear, but with an empire to run and children to raise, one of us cannot afford to die this day. You have served your purpose well, tah-tah." As Vile teleported away, Bandora could be heard screaming as the Grid Cannon destroyed her.

Vile reappeared on his ship and groaned, having had enough of Eltar and the Rangers. Surely there were easier worlds to conquer that would gain him Dark Specter's approval. As he prepared his ship to leave, the dark wizard was relieved to know his troubles were over. "Daddy! "WHERE'S MOTHER!" Well, almost over.

...

With Vile gone for good, Eltar rebuilt once more. With the aid of the Kerovian nobles, a chain of military outposts using Eltarian technology was established in the Kerova system, the most well-equipped of all these being known as KO-35. The Rangers were also finally able to leave and on the orders of the still angry Morphing Masters, set about liberating the planets that had fallen to evil during the conflict with Vile. The brave hero's teleported from planet to planet, fighting until the brink of exhaustion. Knowing the Genesis Rangers would be distracted for a long while, Dark Specter began recruiting new members of the Alliance on the other side of the Universe.

These new recruits could be found on Baranoia, a planet known for reliance on technology above all else. The narrow minded government of the planet had commissioned the creation of sentient Bio-droids programmed to protect the planet at all costs and treated them like slaves. Little did they know that their chief scientist, a kind soul forced into war, had given the Bio-Droids some very advanced artificial intelligence programming. This allowed them to have feelings, personalities, and thoughts like any other sentient being. Unfortunately, this allowed them to be manipulated as well. Angry at their creator for allowing them to be used as slaves, the Bio-Droids were convinced by Dark Specter to turn against Baranoia, murdering the populace and even their creator. The Bio-Droids soon ran wild and without restraint, eventually turning on each other. From amid the chaos, two more advanced Droids rose to power and crowned themselves kings, dividing the Bio-Droids into two separate kingdoms: the Machine Empire led by King Mondo and the Mecha Dynasty led by his rival, King Arradon. Mondo was a short, fat, blue and silver robot while Arradon was silver and crimson as well as tall and muscular with a beard.

Mondo and Arradon hated each other with a passion and sought to kill one another as painfully as possible. Using factories left over from the days of the humans, the two rulers were able to create armies of foot-soldiers known as Cogs to serve them as they ward against one another for control of Baranoia. Eventually, they even built wives for themselves known as Machina and Cyborgia. Both wives were made very loyal to their husbands and despised their rivals just as much.

Wanting to aid her husband in some way despite not being programmed for combat, Machina combined her and Mondo's spare parts to create their first son, Prince Gasket. Gasket would aid his father in battle against Arradon's forces, personally leading full armies of Cogs against the enemy kingdom. Out of jealousy, Cyborgia used her and Arradon's spare parts to create Archerina, their daughter. Archerina was a skilled warrior and true to her namesake, a deadly archer in battle. She even somehow managed to create special love arrows to use against enemies too tough to beat on her own. This was an effective way to expand the Dynasty's army and soon had the Machine Empire outnumbered.

Eventually, the two kings clashed in a final battle that nearly destroyed Baranoia. Prior to this, both Gasket and Archerina had vanished and both monarchs blamed the other, leading them to declare one final duel to the death. Cyborgia had grown tired of the war and fled the planet to parts unknown days before the final conflict with her bodyguard Deviot while Machina was safe in hiding. Mondo and Arradon fought for days but thanks to Mondo's chief servant Clank, Arradon soon fell victim to a computer virus that erased his programming and left him a lifeless shell.

An overjoyed Mondo then melted down Arradon's remains to insure his total destruction and returned to his kingdom to announce his victory to Machina. Before the Machines could celebrate their victory however, they were shocked as Gasket and Archerina both appeared in the royal palace, alive and in love.

Gasket went on to explain that he had loved Archerina since the day they met and had gone into hiding to avoid Arradon's wrath. Gasket begged his father to allow him to marry Archerina and accept her into the royal family but the Machine King refused, believing it to be a trick. He was later outraged to find that according to Clank, Archerina had not used her love arrows on Gasket and his feelings were genuine. Enraged, Mondo disowned his eldest son and banished him and Archerina to the far corners of the universe. Gasket relented but not before vowing to return one day to show Mondo who the true Machine King was.

Sometime after this, Dark Specter appeared to Mondo with a proposition. The Grand Monarch had watched the Machine King closely and determined Mondo was fit to join the United Alliance of Evil, promising that the Machine Empire would extend throughout the stars if he accepted. Hungry for power, Mondo agreed. He reprogrammed Arradon's Cog army to serve him and soon began mass producing Machine Monsters for combat. He even created a companion for Clank in the form of Orbus, who could make his monsters grow. Lastly, Mondo and Machina turned their palace into the Machine Skybase and together with Clank and Orbus, set out to conquer in Dark Specter's name. The Genesis Rangers now had a whole new set of foes to contend with as well as Master Vile, who became their arch-nemesis as he finally earned a place in the United Alliance of Evil.

It did not stop there as over the years, new evils arose, some of which would go on to face future Power Rangers.

One day while the Rangers were confronting a menace in another galaxy, the evil Toxicor pirate clan went on a revenge spree. While space pirates were usually beneath the Morphing Masters' notice, the Toxacor clan proved themselves to be the few ruthless enough to join Dark Specter's legions. The clan was led by Captain Demonicus and his wife Darkessa, known as Papa D and Mama D respectively. Demonicus resembled an older version of his grandson Elgar with a goatee and dressed in a suit similar to the one his adopted daughter would one day wear. He was known for his ruthlessness and expertise with a sword. Darkessa, like all females of the Toxicor species, was humanoid in appearance but had a lizard like tongue and the ability to shoot beams from her eyes. She also knew some magic due to having stolen a wizard's book of spells on a previous conquest she wore a purple version of her husband's suit and a cobra shaped headpiece.

Their two sons, Havoc and Terro, were fierce pirates who had long ago set out on their own voyages. Havoc had a knack for machines which he used to aid his plundering and had even made himself into a cyborg to save his life after being nearly being killed by a rival. Prior to this, he had resembled his father, brother, and nephew like all males of his species. His inventions so impressed Dark Specter that he was given the title of General in the ranks of the Alliance.

By contrast his brother Terro was an idiot much like his son Elgar, who was born through a drunken affair, would be. Terro attempted to prove his worth by plundering the planet of Inquiris, home of the Gem of Wisdom which knew many things, including the location of the rarest treasures in the universe. By stealing the gem and unlocking it's secrets, Terro would become a pirate legend.

However, upon his arrival, the bumbling pirate was trapped and executed by the court of Inquiris for his crimes. Upon hearing this, his parents swore vengeance. They knew the ruling family of Inquiris had given birth to a daughter and they planned to kidnap and kill the infant to regain their honor.

Leading an army of his Piranaatron foot soldiers. Demonicus easily forced his way into the palace and fought past Visceron, captain of the royal guards. He made his way into the nursery, where he slaughtered the king and queen and first laid eyes upon the twin princesses of Inquiris. Not expecting this, Demonicus attempted to kidnap both but just as he was about to grab the second one, the evil pirate noticed a vault out of the corner of his eye: the royal treasury.

Too greedy to resist, Demonicus forced his way in and laid eyes upon the Gem of Knowledge, Demonicus grabbed it to make up for his son's blunder and became filled with great wisdom upon contact. He now knew the folly of evil and felt great remorse for his many crimes. Before he could ponder this more however, his wife teleported him and the baby onboard their ship.

Darkessa attempted to seize the baby but was stopped by Demonicus, who begged her to join the side of good with him. Furious at her husband's reform, the pirate matriarch grabbed a nearby sword and attacked. Demonicus dueled with his wife and bested her easily, having taught her everything she knew about swordplay. Darkessa begged for mercy and promised to redeem herself but the moment Demonicus spared her, she used her magic to conjure up the Pit of Eternal Doom and Suffering. With a blast of her eye beams, Darkessa knocked her husband in forever.

Darkessa eventually decided not to kill the baby but to raise it as the daughter she had always desired. Naming her Divatox, Darkessa magically altered the baby's genetics to match her own and began training her as a pirate. Havoc was ordered to treat her as his sister and Elgar was raised knowing his "Aunt Divatox." Likewise, the royal advisors of Inquiris kept the truth about the second princess a secret and only Visceron knew the truth. Little did they know what kind of evil would be born from these events.

Another pirate who had worked his way up the ranks of evil was the sinister Captain Mutiny, the Toxicor clan's chief rival. In his flying castle mounted on the sinister mecha called Titanisaur, Mutiny travelled the galaxy killing and plundering the riches of the cosmos with his Swabbies. The Genesis Rangers battled him on many occasions but he proved powerful even for them. In a final battle, Mutiny dueled Zordon while the others searched for the Galaxy Book, an ancient tome written by the first Morphing Masters.

The Galaxy Book was filled with the secrets of the Lost Galaxy, a secret dimension the Masters discovered during the first Great War with the Akuma. They documented the secrets of the Lost Galaxy and crafted many enchantments connected to it within the Galaxy Book. They even considered sending the Akuma there but found such a fate too cruel for even them. Eventually, they decided the Galaxy Book was too dangerous and hid it away before going on to defeat the Akuma but the current Masters knew it was the only way to stop Mutiny so they gave their champions the location of the Book's hiding place.

The Rangers arrived just in time to save their leader and managed to seal Mutiny and his crew away in the Lost Galaxy with a spell from the Galaxy Book. After the battle, the Galaxy Book was left in the hands of a warrior known only as the Guardian and Zordon became interested in the prospect of sealing away powerful evils rather than killing them. Little did they know that life had evolved in the Lost Galaxy and Mutiny was free to enslave the populace, even forming an alliance with the resident sorceress called Hexuba. It would remain this way until Mutiny encountered the Galaxy Rangers thousands of years later.

The Genesis Rangers also had run-ins with Scorpius, who back then had a more humanoid appearance. Despite his growing empire, the warlord was a low-ranking member of Dark Specter's Alliance and barely acknowledged by the Grand Monarch. Scorpious tried to destroy the Rangers by entering his cocoon and mutating into his modern day form but was still defeated. Zordon let the warlord go after seeing how much he cared for his infant daughter Trakeena, who had been born through Scorpious' concubine.

The Rangers even had a run in the Troobian Empire, which was then lead by Emperor Omni, its first ruler. Omni looked like Grumm but was larger and had ram-like horns. During his battle with the Genesis Rangers, Omni's body was destroyed and his consciousness was transferred into a large canister-like apparatus. Omni would continue to rule his empire from the shadows, manipulating his successors into conquering more and more worlds until he had the resources to construct a new body for himself known as the Magnificence, which he would use to dominate all.

Luckily, new heroes appeared as well as new villains. The transforming warrior soon became a popular asset in the war against evil thanks to the Rangers' exploits and many of them were similar to the Rangers themselves. Some even used the Morphing Grid to fuel their powers. As other races began acknowledging its existence

The first of these transforming heroes could be found on the planet of Edenoi, home of the Edenoites. The Edenoites were a race of humanoids who had evolved from insects instead of apes. They had gone on to develop powerful telepathic powers which were focused through the gems on their foreheads. Their technology was the finest in their galaxy and had been put to great use thanks to the wisdom of the royal family. However, tragedy struck when the king and queen contracted a fatal illness, leaving the kingdom in the hands of their daughter Kamena.

Edenoi soon became the target of two small-time warlords hoping to join Dark Specter's Alliance. These were the brothers Moltor and Flurious, who had hated each other since childhood. As their warring armies threaten to tear the planet apart, Kamena pledged to actively defend her people. She sought out Heron, the planet's alchemist who had recently learned how to harness the Morphing Grid. This made him the first non-Master to accomplish this feat, earning great respect from the people of Edenoi.

Drawing inspiration from the female Genesis Rangers and wanting to pay tribute to her insect heritage, Kamena asked Heron to create a morpher known as an Ecto-Accelerator, a belt-like device worn on her waist. With a cry of "ecto-phase activate!" Kamina was transformed into a pink and black armored warrior modeled after a ladybug and sporting a skirt similar to Dulcea and Jarella. Kamina had become the first Masked Rider, defender of Edenoi.

Armed with Grid enhanced strength and fighting skills as well as her wrist laser and electro-saber, Masked Rider Alpha {as future generations called her} fought against the armies of Moltor and Flurious. Because her enemies did not know how to make their forces grow yet, Kamina did not use battle mecha but Warella, her lady-bug themed motor cycle of her own design. She was also the first transforming warrior to employ a secret identity to balance her life as queen and warrior. For several years, she fought for peace while also marrying and later raising two sons. One day, Moltor and Flurious united against their common foe and overwhelmed her in battle, exposing her. The brothers then murdered Kamina's husband and used her sons as hostages, daring her to rescue them. Fueled by maternal rage, Kamena became Masked Rider Alpha once more and fought harder than ever, nearly killing the brothers and driving them off Edenoi for good.

After that day, Kamena retired from the role of Masked Rider and continued to rule as queen until the end of her days. But knowing the powers would be needed again one day, she trained her oldest son Exor to assume the powers when he came of age and began the tradition of passing the Masked Rider powers down through the royal family from parent to eldest child. It was also revealed that the powers evolved with each user, changing the suit and vehicle as well as granting each Masked Rider his or her own unique powers along with basic abilities like the Electro-Saber.

Another transforming warrior came into being on the planet of Minos, home of a horned humanoid species often referred to as Tuarens. One particular citizen of Minos was Koroda, a gruff yet kind hearted blacksmith who dreamed of defending his people as a warrior. Tales of the Genesis Rangers' exploits only strengthened his desires and he took to training himself with the swords he forged for the planet's soldiers. One day, the forces of Scorpius attacked Minos and Korada found himself helping the people of his village escape the onslaught. When Scorpius' general known as Treacheron, attacked, Koroda tried to fight him off but was badly wounded and forced to flee into the nearby forest.

The blacksmith soon came upon a strange cave which seemed to call to him. The cave was once the home of a past Morphing Master, also a blacksmith and whose presence still lingered there to this day. When Korada entered, he was filled with the knowledge of how to use the Morphing Grid and knew what he must do to defend Minos. Using his knowledge and the Master's old tools, he forged a mystic sword which channeled the Grid like a morpher. Koroda raised his new blade into the sky and yelled "Magna Power!" Magna roughly translated into "mighty bull" in his peoples' tongue

In a burst of energy, Koroda transformed into an armored warrior in black armor with a green jewel in the center of his chest. A long cape trailed behind his back and he wore a helmet which resembled the Rangers' own and allowed his horns to poke through. His new sword hung at his side. Koroda named this new form the Magna Defender.

Magna Defender rushed onto the battlefield and fought off Scorpius' forces with ease. His Magna Saber cut through Sting winger foot soldiers easily before converting it into blaster mode and scattering them. Scorpius eventually made Treacheron grow and Magna Defender summoned his personal battle mecha, a black bull which he named Torozord to honor the Genesis Rangers. However, Torozord was unique from the Zords by way of being infused with the soul of an actual bull and possessing a level of sentience. In this way, he would serve as Magna Defender's trusted companion.

Torozord fired beams from its eyes which made Magna Defender grow into a red colored giant form called Mega Defender. He then mounted Torozord and rode him into battle against Tracheron, defeating him. The general survived however and vowed revenge, beginning a great rivalry between the Magna Defender and himself.

With Scorpius's first attack repelled, Magna Defender vowed to protect his home world from evil. Turning the cave into his lair, Koroda became the champion of his people as he led them against the evil warlord. He also kept his identity public so he could transform without need for deception and avoid the stress of a double life. It would be years later before he realized the folly of his decision.

Another brave warrior was Auric the Conqueror, defender of the planet Ohra. Auric was conjured up by the planet's shaman and spent most of his time in the form of a tiki. When evil threatened Ohra, the tiki's chosen guardian would use a magic key to summon Auric into battle. Auric was incredibly powerful but always willing to talk out a problem before fighting, even though it rarely worked. He also had a cowardly streak and an annoying habit of narrating his battles but still remained a mighty champion of good. While usually eight feet tall upon being summoned, he could become a giant to battle oversized enemies.

Then there was Ninjor, mysterious warrior-sage of the planet Kaku. Known only for his blue Ranger-like armor, Ninjor was a master of the ancient Ninjetti martial arts and a skilled mystic. He lived in a temple located in the desert of Kaku and only came out when evil threatened the planet. He showed up, fought whoever needed to be fought, and disappeared until he was needed again. When giant enemies threatened, he grew to match them with Ninjor Expansion Mode and used his special Battle Mode transformation to beat his strongest foes.

The odd thing about Ninjor was that he was widely considered a myth to the universe at large. His origins were unknown and due to Kaku's great distance from other worlds, the Genesis Rangers and other heroes never encountered him. Even the Morphing Masters didn't know for sure. The only beings who could verify his existence were the people of Kaku and the evils that attacked their galaxy.

Other heroes included the Sentinel Knight who guarded the Corona wizard called Baskin who protected the cursed stone called the Evil, the self-proclaimed Warrior Goddess who wielded the mighty sword Excelsior, the gladiator Loyax, and many more. Even the wildlife of some planets learned how to harness the Morphing Grid, transforming into the mighty Galactabeast race. These noble creatures travelled the stars in packs, stopping evil wherever they found it. Torozord was at one point rumored to be one of them but Magna Defender knew better.

As for the Rangers', there were changes for them as well. Zordon and Dulcea were now happily married while Quasar and Jarella had begun seeing each other. They were all given the Morphing Masters' blessings so long as their duties were not affected. By contrast, Cronos began becoming more distant from the group.

Ever since the first battle against Master Vile, tension had grown between the Black and White Rangers. Cronos was becoming more and wilder with each passing day, his methods in battle becoming increasingly cruel while his temper became more volatile. He had even attempted to kill Scorpius and his baby daughter to prevent her from becoming a threat as an adult.

It was so bad now that Zordon had spoken to the Morphing Masters about replacing Cronos with a new Black Ranger but they refused, stating it was Cronos' destiny to wield the Cerberus Coin.

One thing that remained constant was Zordon's stubborn refusal to accept aid in the war against Dark Specter. As new transforming warriors began appearing across the universe and their fame grew, he became noticeably annoyed and was even more upset that some of them were using the Morphing Grid. The Masters themselves seemed indifferent to the matter and simply said "what will be, will be." As they said this, they would often be a knowing but sad tone to their voices.

One day, the Rangers had their first encounter with a transforming warrior. The Morphing Masters had heard rumors of powerful monsters attacking Edenoi and apparently, the current Masked Rider was being overwhelmed. The Masters sent their champions to Edenoi to help turn the tide and possibly gain a new ally. They even spoke of inducting the current Masked Rider into the Order of Meledon as a Morphing Master.

While Zordon disagreed with such a decision, it was not his place to argue. As the team teleported to Edenoi in civilian form, they beheld the planet for the first time. Though once a lush jungle world, multiple wars had reduced its landscape to a desert and even Edenoi's amazing technology could not restore it. Seeing this sight before him made Zordon shudder. If generations of Masked Riders could allow this to happen, how could the current one be a worthy Morphing Master?

Turning towards his team, Zordon said "alright guys, we're about to enter Edenoi's capital city to extend the hand of friendship and possibly induct a new member into the Order. We must remember to conduct ourselves as proper diplomats while we're here." "Spare us the lecture Zordon, we're not children" Cronos sneered "we know you hate being here. You don't want this Rider buffoon in the Order but you're just too spineless to argue with the Masters."

Zordon glared and was about to retort when Dulcea stepped between them. "We must remember that we are here to aid a planet in jeopardy just as always and we must not allow personal opinions to get in the way of that." She cast a glance at Zordon as she said this but turned a harsher glare on Cronos. "We must also remember our place on the team. It is not anyone's right to question an already proven leader or our superiors." Zordon nodded in agreement and the team began their trek towards the Royal Palace of Eddenoi but under his breath, Cronos growled "remember my place? One day woman, I'll show you your place!"

...

The Rangers arrived at the gates of the capital city to be greeted by two armed guards. At the sight of the new intruders, they both jumped to attention. "What is your business here strangers? You're no Edenoites."

Zordon calmly stepped forward. He could sense tension radiating off the two guards in waves. It was clear this conflict had taken a heavy toll on them. "We mean you no harm. We are the Power Rangers, here to seek audience with your king."

The guards narrowed their eyes suspiciously but still allowed the Rangers to enter the city. The group was surprised to find that Edenoi was rich with technology despite looking like a wasteland. Zordon casually observed that with time, the planet could grow to match Eltar in terms of advancement. That was why he was surprised to learn Edenoi's current enemies showed no signs of loyalty to Dark Specter or the United Alliance of Evil.

Soon, the Rangers arrived at the palace of King Elian, the planet's ruler and current bearer of the Masked Rider mantle. It was a towering structure that radiated the confidence and power of the royal family. Statues of the previous Masked Riders lined the court yard in chronological order. The Rangers found themselves drawn to each one.

"The armor and power seems to change with each generation" Borgon noted "fascinating." "Yeah" Quasar agreed "maybe we can do the same with our Power Coins one day." "I doubt that's possible or even necessary" Zordon spoke up, trying to hide his annoyance at the idea "future generations won't need Power Rangers after we beat Dark Specter."

"How do we know we'll live long enough to beat him?" Cronos asked in an effort to get under Zordon's skin "Ivan Ooze reigned for six thousand years before we showed up. How can you be so sure it won't take longer to defeat Dark Specter? We've already been fighting for a few centuries as it is."

"I'll fight as long as I have to if it insures that evil is forever destroyed." Zordon said as he turned towards Cronos with a glare "could I not ask the same of you?"

"Forgive me for saying so but as it stands, true evil can never be destroyed" a new voice interrupted before the argument could escalate. The Rangers turned to see a tall Edenoite man dressed in tan robes. His brown hair showed streaks of gray and his beard was already white. His eyes shown with kindness and courage. "Welcome Rangers, I'm King Lexian and it is truly an honor to have you here."

Lexian stepped forward and made his way over to the female Rangers, flashing them a charming smile. "It is particularly humbling to stand in the presence of you my Lady Rangers. Your heroism inspired my ancestor, Queen Kamena, to create the Masked Rider mantle. Your exploits prove as inspiring as your beauty." He leaned down to kiss Dulcea's hand but was blocked by Zordon.

"We are not here for a social visit King Lexian" Zordon said rather tersely "we are here due to the attacks on your capital. Reports say that these creatures are powerful enough to reside in Dark Specter's legions and we fear he may turn his attention to you soon if he hasn't already." "We are beneath Dark Specter's notice" Lexian scoffed "we have been for centuries. No Masked Rider has ever met up with the United Alliance of Evil and I doubt they ever will."

"Never the less" Zordon replied "these attacks require our attention. You seem to need all the help you can get from what we've heard." Lexian bristled slightly. He had been trying to keep his subjects in the dark about the gravity of the situation to prevent mass hysteria but if news had spread this far, who knows what could happen now?

"Very well, we are discussing a new strategy in the war chamber this afternoon. You are welcome to join us." The Rangers nodded and proceeded into the palace with Lexian. They never knew that a sinister figure was watching them from the shadows. "What's this I see? It cannot be! Those six strangers can't possibly be the Power Rangers! With this information I must away so my master may yet win the day." With that, the little creature vanished quick as he appeared, off to report to his master.

...

Inside the palace, the Rangers had their first encounter with Alpha Five, Lexian's assistant as well as the fifth and latest in the first line of Edenoite robots, hence his name. He was a small red and gold robot with a flat disk-shaped head and a lightning bolt on his torso. When he spoke, he reminded the Rangers of an excited child. "Ai yi yi! King Lexian, you must come quickly! The meeting has already started and they are requesting your presence."

"Calm down Alpha, we're on our way" Lexian replied "is everyone in attendance?" "Most of your court is already there as well as Ryu and Kella" Alpha reported. "Very good, and Dregon?" "no sign of him sire."

Lexian sighed in annoyance. "Typical, we'll just have to carry on without him as usual." The moment Zordon heard the name "Dregon", a strange feeling of dread swept over him. He somehow knew that the name would one day be associated with great evil.

Once inside the War Chamber, the Rangers were introduced to Lexian's eldest son Ryu, his wife Kella, and the various members of Edenoi's royal court. Ryu resembled a young version of Lexian and was considered a scientific genius. He had personally aided his father in the creation of Alpha Five and the four previous Alpha robots. He was also the heir to the Masked Rider mantle and his father's most trusted advisor in times of conflict.

As the prince made his way to the head of the meeting table, all eyes were on him. He activated the holographic projector screen and a three dimensional map of Edenoi's capital appeared on the nearby wall. "As you know" Ryu began "Edenoi has been under siege for some months by a terrorist named Nefaria and the creatures she calls Insectovores. These creatures vary in appearance and can be anything from supernatural entities, hybrids between men and beasts, alien life forms, and even robots. They also seem to have great knowledge of our defenses and have been hitting our weak points since day one. I've been working on a new force field generator to rectify the problem but I just can't get it running."

Pressing another button caused a hologram of the invention to appear. Taking interest, Borgon stood up and studied the design. "Not bad" he said casually "with a little adjustment, it just might work. I'd be happy to lend a hand." Ryu smiled in surprise. It was very rare that someone besides his father showed a real interest in his inventions.

"That's all well and good" Zordon spoke up "but the question is what does this Nefaria want? Why is she attacking Edenoi in the first place?" Before anyone could respond, a tremor shook the room and a moment later, a guard rushed in. "My king! Nefaria has an army placed outside the city, come quickly!"

Lexian turned his attention to the soldiers attending the meeting and ordered "all of you get out there and protect the city as best you can! Ryu and Kella, get Alpha to safety! I'll be there as soon as I can!" As everyone obeyed and rushed out of the War Chamber, Lexian turned to the Rangers and asked "can I count on your help?"

The Rangers nodded and pulled out their morphers. "Ready?" Zordon asked. "Ready!"

"Power of the Morphing Grid! Titan! Chimara! Dragon! Cerberus! Griffin! Unicorn!"

In a burst of multi-colored light, the Genesis Rangers were morphed and ready to fight. Lexian then yelled out "ecto-phase activate!" In a flash of energy, the warrior king became Masked Rider, defender of Edenoi. His version of the Masked Rider form was titled Masked Rider Black and bore a passing resemblance to his future grandson's armor except for being midnight black with crimson colored eyes and an imprint on the neck area.

Masked Rider then raised his arm and yelled "Turbine, let's roll!" In a cave on the far side of Edenoi, a motorcycle styled after a wasp came into being. This was Turbine, the personal vehicle used by Lexian as Masked Rider. Turbine roared out of the cave at top speed and traversed Edenoi's terrain in minutes. He was soon at the steps of the royal palace where Lexian waited with the Genesis Rangers. Mounting his vehicle, Masked Rider turned to his allies and said "follow my lead" before speeding off to battle. Zordon nodded as he and his team obeyed.

...

Outside the city gates, a squadron of Edenoi's best soldiers held their own against an army of Insectovores. This army consisted of Maggots, foot soldiers modeled after their namesake, and toad creatures called Cogwartz. These were new additions to the Insectovore race but they had already proved themselves the most powerful...and deadly. On a mountain overlooking the battle, a humanoid female in red and black armor watched with interest. This was the terrorist Nafaria.

Though she loathed to admit it, Nafaria was a native of Edenoi who had once been part of a very wealthy family. Her father Belrad was a nobleman who had been friends with King Lexian since childhood and as a result, her family enjoyed a life of privilege and wielded political power second only to the royal family. This all changed several years ago when a young Lexian was given the powers of Masked Rider and the throne, succeeding his aging father King Dex. Belrad attempted to persuade the new king to extend Edenoi's influence throughout their galaxy, essentially conquering it. Lexian refused and the ensuing argument, banished Belrad to the planet's prison. The disgraced nobleman escaped however and led an army of dangerous criminals to overtake the capital.

Lexian personally dueled Belrad as Masked Rider and killed him, leaving Nafaria an orphan as her mother had fled shortly after. After a few years in the orphanage, she managed to escape and fled into the wastelands, forced to survive like an animal. That day, she vowed revenge against Lexian and all of Edenoi. Then a year ago, she encountered her master who possessed a similar vendetta and promised her a seat of power if she joined his cause. She accepted and was empowered to lead his army as she had done for the past months.

Nafaria was pulled from her thoughts of the past when she glanced Masked Rider charging into battle on Turbine. Instantly, she became filled with hate, the same sort of hate she knew her father had experienced many years ago. As this happened, Nafaria's eyes flashed red, a side effect of the power her master granted her. "Soon" she whispered "soon you'll know the pain of losing your entire life. Soon, you will know the pain of true loss!"

...

"For Edenoi!" King Lexian cried as he leaped off Turbine and landed in front of a group of Maggots. The insect creatures turned their attention from the guards they were fighting and charged the warrior king with a fierce growl. In response, Lexian drew his electro-saber and prepared for battle.

The traditional weapon of all Masked Riders was known to cut through Edenoite steel, the toughest metal in the galaxy. However, against the Maggots, it did nothing but short out when it touched their skin. "Not again" Lexian growled as he dodged the Maggots's attacks as best he could. He knew from previous battles that his enhanced strength did little against Insectovores for whatever reason. Lexian eventually resorted to his Rider Blaster, a special sidearm included in his incarnation of the Masked Rider powers. It was a weapon he hated using but had come to rely on in recent months.

He fired several times but the laser blasts did little to penetrate the tough Insectove hide. Eventually, a Cogwartz managed to knock the blaster from Lexian's hand and out of his reach. The warrior king soon found himself backed into a corner, completely at the mercy of his enemies. Nafaria laughed wickedly as she saw vengeance would soon be hers.

Suddenly, a white armored figure appeared in a flash of light and Nafaria gasped. She instantly recognized this figure as Zordon of Eltar, the White Power Ranger. "A Power Ranger! How can that be!" Nafaria muttered under her breath "it's not possible!"

Back on the battlefield, the startled Insectovores backed away as the newcomer appeared. The White Ranger summoned his Titan Saber and charged into the fray, slashing away at his foes. "Get out of here Lexian, we'll handle this!" Zordon ordered as the other Genesis Rangers entered the battle. Lexian said nothing but obeyed, his pride deeply wounded

Summoning their Power Weapons, the five Genesis Rangers joined their leader in battle. Quasar incinerated Maggots with his Pyro Mace while Borgon drove them back with his Drago Blaster. Dulcea tore through Cogwartz with her Bi-Beast Gauntlets, the spirit of the Griffin easily destroying each one it came in contact with. Cronos hacked through Maggots with his Necro Axe while Jarella alternated between freezing them solid and striking them with lightning.

Having beaten his last opponent, Zordon took a moment to observe his comrades, particularly admiring his wife. The White Ranger almost laughed as he watched Dulcea destroy the Cogwartz. As strong and brave as his wife was, she was deathly afraid of frogs and hated them with a passion. Toads were no exception.

Zordon was so engrossed in the scene that he failed to notice Nafaria appear behind him. The corrupt Edeoiniite had decided that with the Rangers involved, she would have to handle this on her own. A sword appeared in her hand and she raised it above her head, ready to end Zordon's life. By the time he noticed, it would be too late.

Before Nafaria could act however, a laser blast came from nowhere and stunned her. Hearing her cry out in pain, Zordon turned around and swung his Titan Saber at her. The terrorist managed to block the blow but soon found herself in battle with the White Ranger. Nafaria was no warrior however and found herself completely outmatched.

Zordon easily disarmed the terrorist and held the tip of his Titan Saber at her throat. He would never really harm her but his bluff would insure no tricks on her part. "Who are you and why do you attack Edenoi?" Zordon demanded, his voice firm with authority.

Nafaria sneered at the White Ranger in defiance, her eyes glowing red. "You pathetic fools! This isn't over! My master will have the Masked Rider powers!"

Before Zordon could respond, Nafaria vanished in a burst of flame. The other Genesis Rangers soon ran up to their leader and began interrogating him. "Are you alright? Dulcea asked "what happened? Who saved you?"

The Rangers were all confused until Quasar said "up there!" On a mountain overlooking the battle, Alpha Five stood with a laser gun in his hand. Though the little robot tried to look brave, it was clear he trembled with fright. "Ai yi yi! That was a close one!"

King Lexian, having powered down from Masked Rider form, ran up to his creation with a stern frown. "Alpha, what are you doing! You were told to stay safe with Ryu and Kella!" As Lexian spoke, he sounded as if he were scolding a child rather than a machine.

"My apologies sire, but when I noticed you in trouble with the tele-viewer screen Ryu created, I had to help somehow." Alpha explained "I arrived just in time to see Master Zordon in trouble." "It was my good fortune that you did" Zordon spoke up, preventing another scolding "you saved my life little friend."

Zordon powered down from morphed form and flashed the robot a genuine smile. His battles against the Machine Empire had taught him that robots were soulless abominations who sought to destroy organic life. Alpha's deed had caused him to rethink this philosophy. "So Zordon, what's our next move?" Quasar asked as the rest of the team powered down.

"For now, we stay and fight" Zordon replied "there's more to these attacks than meets the eye. From what I heard, Nafaria wants the Masked Rider powers." "Impossible" Lexian scoffed "what would she do with them? Only a member of the royal family can wield them."

"Maybe" Zordon replied "but there's something else. She also mentioned a master." Lexian was surprised. "A master? You mean she's not alone?"

Zordon nodded. "Precisely and I suspect whoever it is must have created those Insectovores as well. Jarella, did you perform the mystic scan?" The Pink Ranger nodded. "I sensed equal parts of science and magic and that means those things were made with alchemy."

"That explains my weakness against them" Lexian realized "the Masked Rider powers were also made with alchemy. The Insectovores' very presence counteracts them!" "But our Power Coins were made with alchemy and we did fine against them" Quasar pointed out. "Maybe so but we have a stronger link to the Morphing Grid than the Masked Riders do and it offers some protection" Borgon explained. "That solves one mystery but it still doesn't explain one thing" Dulcea spoke up "who does Nafaria work for?"

...

Few people alive could remember when Edenoi was once a lush jungle world rather than a barren desert. Even the oldest of Edenoites only remembered stories told to them as children. These stories told how past Masked Riders waged terrible wars to protect Edenoi from conquer but sacrificed much of the planet's beauty in the process. Little did anyone know that these same wars had buried much of Edenoi's past as well.

Buried beneath the desert was a vast cave that dated back centuries. At one point in time, it had been the home of Heron, the alchemist who created the Masked Rider powers. Few knew it still existed with the exception of the sinister group who now dwelled within. Counted among them was Nafaria, who fidgeted at the prospect of what awaited her.

The corrupt female Edenoite looked around her and took note of two other individuals next to her. One was a blue cyborg with a single red eye dressed like a biker and the other was dressed in clothes like a naval officer. He wore a helmet with a large red visor and a smaller face on the forehead, giving the illusion of two faces. Respectively, these two were called Cycloptor and Double Face, two powerful Insectovores not yet given life by Nafaria's master. When completed, they would help lead the final assault against Edenoi.

Nafaria shivered as she thought of what her master would do to her for her failure. He wasn't known for tolerance or mercy at any rate and his temper was legendary. Would he turn her into one of these monstrosities? Would she even leave this place alive?

Her thoughts were interrupted when her master appeared before her in a burst of flame. He was a tall and sinister figure dressed in dark robes complete with a hood to hide his features. When he spoke, his voice was deep and smooth but possessed an evil, emotionless tone. "Nafaria, explain yourself! I give you command of my strongest Insectovores to date and give you the simple task of invading the capital and you return to me with nothing!"

Nafaria bowed deeply and replied "forgive me master but there were unforeseen complications in the form of outsiders who entered the battle." "Impossible!" Her master roared "Who could possibly best my Insectovores when the Masked Rider himself cannot!" "It was the Power Rangers my lord" Nafaria replied "it seems our activities have not gone unnoticed by the rest of the universe."

"IT CANNOT BE!" Nafaria's master turned to a nearby cave wall and with a gesture, created a screen of energy that allowed him to view the battle just as it happened. He was distraught to learn that Nafaria was correct. As impossible as it seemed, the Power Rangers were on Edenoi and fighting along King Lexian.

"This changes everything" Nafaria heard her master say as he made the image vanish "we cannot launch a full-scale assault until the Rangers are dealt with and Lexian is no longer a concern." "Just how will you do that?" Nafaria asked a bit more boldly than she meant to but her master didn't notice. Instead, he chuckled wickedly.

"Trust me dear Nafaria, no one knows my father's weaknesses better than I." Nafaria's master removed his hood to reveal the face of a handsome male Edenoite with a goatee and dark hair. His eyes sparkled with dark intent in the light of the torches that lit the cave. He was Prince Dregon, second son of King Lexian and the younger brother of Prince Ryu.

Ever since the day he was born, Dregon had lived in his brother's shadow. Ryu's status as first born and his genius with machines had always made him first in both his father's heart and those of the people. This was why, despite only being only a year younger than his brother and a superior warrior, Dregon was denied the chance to inherit the powers of Masked Rider, a position he sorely craved. Adding to this insult was the fact that Ryu didn't even want to be Masked Rider and only accepted the role because of tradition.

The only one who really seemed to care about Dregon was his mother, Queen Darlana. She had always accepted the prince for who he was and never compared him to her eldest son. The queen even sparked his interest in becoming Masked Rider by reading him stories of the Masked Riders from ages past. Darlana particularly enjoyed reading the exploits of Queen Kamena, the very first Masked Rider. Like Darlana herself, Kemena had been a mother who was fiercely dedicated to her sons and would go to any length to protect them from harm.

In many ways, it was Dregon's close relationship with his mother that kept the hatred and anger in his heart from consuming him. His resentment over how his brother was favored over him had long since taken root in him and only his mother's love kept him from becoming submerged in darkness. But like so many things, nothing lasts forever. Unknown to anyone, dark forces were brewing and Dregon's days of happiness would soon come to an end.

This day finally came when the corrupted nobleman Belrad launched an attack to overthrown the monarchy. Lexian was new to the role of Masked Rider at the time and in his inexperience, he allowed an assassin to infiltrate the palace while he battled his former friend.

When the assassin attacked the two princes, Darlana attempted to fight him off. The queen managed to subdue the assassin until Lexian arrived but was unable to avoid the assassin's dagger. Dregon watched in silent horror as the dagger plunged into his mother's heart, ending her life. Later reports stated she was the only casualty of the entire conflict.

That night, all the good in Dregon's heart died along with his mother. It was also the night he realized that neither his father nor his brother were worthy of being Masked Rider. Then and there, the young prince vowed the Masked Rider powers would be his by any means necessary.

Some years later, Dregon became lost in a sandstorm while exploring outside the palace and stumbled across Heron's lair with all his secrets intact. The prince soon realized he now had the means to take what was rightfully his. He spent the next several years studying the alchemic arts in secret until he learned to create Insectovores. With Nafaria as his front man, he could carry out his campaign in secret, working behind the scenes to insure his father's downfall. The old fool suspected nothing thanks to the act he put on every day, pretending to be a spoiled and lazy prince.

But with the famous Power Rangers around, his plans would have to change. It was time to take a more direct hand in things. "Master! Master! This is a disaster!" Dregon was pulled out of his thoughts by the appearance of Gork, another Insectovore.

Gork was an early experiment of Dregon's and was considered his greatest failure. He was an annoying little creature who did little more than hop around and speaks in rhyme. He was also cowardly and had no combat skills to speak of. The only reason he was still around was because he made an excellent spy...usually.

"What is is Gork! We have a major crisis here! Dregon screamed, angry at the intrusion. "But master, we are in great danger from six Power Rangers!"

Dregon was silent for a moment then extended his hand. A stream of energy leaped from his hand and shocked Gork, sending him writhing in pain to the ground. "Imbecille" the rouge prince muttered before Nafaria spoke up again. "What do we do now master?"

Dregon turned to her and said "now we must deal with both the Rangers and my father. I've taught you enough to complete Cyclopter and Double Face on your own and I expect the Spider Base operational in the next few days. The time of my triumph is at hand!"

...

The Genesis Rangers, along with Alpha Five, Ryu, and Kella, all stood in the palace's highly advanced medical center, watching several top physicians treat King Lexian. Despite the warrior king protests, they had wanted to make absolutely sure his injuries from the battle were not fatal. The minute his father was fully healed, Ryu was first to speak. "Father, this battle was clearly a sign of things to come. You must allow me to become Masked Rider."

Kella was shocked. "Ryu, you can't mean that! Have you forgotten our child!" Edenoite women remained pregnant for only four of their planet's months while their child matured within the womb and Kella had less than a month before her due date.

"I must do this Kella" Ryu said solemnly. "If father is killed before transferring the Masked Rider powers to a successor, the powers are destroyed forever." "That may be true Ryu but I have no intention of dying anytime soon." Lexian spoke up "you're not yet ready for the responsibility of being the Masked Rider and Kella needs you."

Ryu sighed. He knew arguing with his father was pointless and so was arguing with his wife. "Fine, but at least allow me to complete the force field generator. With it, we can drive the Insectovores away without fighting a losing battle."

"He's right King Lexian" Borgon spoke up "the Insectovores were made to counteract your powers. The force field generator is the only way to win. With Ryu and I working together, it should be no problem."

Lexian sighed in defeat. "Very well, if you insist." Ryu smiled. "Thank you father, you won't regret it."

"For our entire sakes brother, I hope not." Everyone turned at the sound of this cold new voice and saw Prince Dregon step out of the shadows, a condescending smirk on his handsome face. "Where have you been Dregon!" Lexian demanded of his youngest son "We were in the middle of a crisis!"

"Forgive me father, some girls over in the next village required a royal escort. Perhaps I could redeem myself by working on that force field generator?" Ryu was shocked by his younger brother's offer. "Since when do you know anything about machines Dregon?"

Dregon chuckled in response. "I study many things in my spare time dear brother and machinery is one of them. Of course, I would still require father's permission." The younger prince cast an imploring glance at his father as he said this, making Lexian sigh in annoyance.

"Fine, if you really think you'll be of help, go ahead and try. It will be nice to see you doing something useful for a change." The king commented rather gruffly before leaving the room with Alpha and Kella. Dregon scowled at his father's retreating form but it went unnoticed.

"Well, shall we get started?" Dregon nodded and followed his brother and Borgon into Ryu's lab. The moment the other Genesis Rangers were alone, Jarella turned her comrades. "Did you feel that? Dregon's entire aura is coated with evil energy."

"You're right" Zordon conformed "I felt it through the Morphing Grid. It seems that Prince Dregon may know more about the Insectovores than he lets on." "I felt it too" Dulcea said "but how can we be sure? "I felt nothing out of the ordinary" Cronos spoke up "all I noticed was that he channels the Black part of the Grid Spectrum the same way I do." Quasar cast a glance at Cronos but said nothing.

...

In the next few days, the Genesis Rangers continued to fight off the Insectovores, who were now lead by Nafaria, Cycloptor, and Double Face. King Lexian was kept off the battlefield and made to supervise the completion of the force field generator, despite his protests. During their stay, the Rangers made themselves at home on Edenoi, making friends amongst the populace. Zordon in particular had become quite fond of Alpha Five.

Ever since the little robot saved his life, Zordon had struck up a friendship with him, forming a bond that would endure for thousands of years. Alpha's child-like, pleasant personality had captured Zordon's heart and brought forth feelings of almost fatherly affection for the little robot. He would later learn that Alpha's ways were the result of Lexian using the Morphing Grid in his construction. This gave the little robot the same level of sentience as the Machine Empire, a belt with a far less malicious nature.

Finally, after several days' worth of work, the force field generator was complete. The Rangers and the entire Royal family were soon gathered inside Ryu's lab for a test run. At Dregon's recommendation, all guards had been dispatched outside the capital's parameters to ensure no Insectovore interference. The second born prince was determined to make sure that today would be one to remember.

"This is it?" Quasar asked in disbelief as he gazed at the small, handheld device the Blue Ranger presented. "This is what you've been building for almost two weeks? It's so tiny!"

Borgon chuckled. "Size doesn't matter Quasar, trust me. This device may be small but it packs more than enough punch to get the job done. Ryu, if you please?"

The eldest prince smiled and took the device, pressing a series of digits on the keypad. Instantly, a huge energy dome surrounded the castle and spread out to cover the entire capital. "Success!" Ryu exclaimed "Nafaria's armies will never be able to penetrate the barrier and neither will anyone else. Edenoi is now forever from evil."

King Lexian stepped forward with a smile on his face but there was a hint of sadness in his expression. "Well done son, you have secured peace for Edenoi and its people. I'm very proud of you. It appears the age of the Masked Rider is over."

"Thank you father" Ryu said with a smile "I just know this invention will create a bold new era for Edenoi." "It will indeed" Dregon spoke up "for Edenoi and me!" Before anyone could make a move, Maggots appeared from out of nowhere, prompting a horrified scream from Kella. The Insectovores caught everyone off guard, even the Rangers. They were soon overpowered and captured, daggers held against their throats. "How can this be!" Ryu exclaimed "it's impossible!"

To everyone's shock, Dregon began laughing like a madman. "Impossible? No brother, it's alchemy." All present watched in horror as the Maggots released the younger prince and bowed to him. He strolled to the center of the room and turned to face his captives, a look of arrogance and disgust on his face as he said "today, your weak dynasty crumbles and my glorious reign begins!"

"Dregon, you've been behind this all along! This whole thing has been a trap!" Ryu screamed in utter disbelief as he felt the tip of the dagger at his throat. "Very observant brother" Dregon replied sarcastically "no wonder you're father's favorite."

King Lexian was outraged. "Traitor! I'm ashamed to call you my flesh and blood!" "Rest assured old man, the feeling is mutual" Dregon replied bitterly "I've been waiting for this day for too long."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Zordon spoke up as he and the rest of the Genesis Rangers suddenly broke free. Within minutes, they had beaten their captors and faced down Dregon. The team quickly pulled out their morphers and prepared for battle.

"Ready?" "Ready! Power of the Morphing Grid!" Rather than morphing however, each Ranger received a painful shock as energy matching their Ranger colors surrounded their bodies. The six heroes dropped to the floor, writhing in agony.

"What have you done to them!" Lexian demanded angrily. Dregon chuckled. "It may interest you to know father that I learned my craft from Heron, creator of the Masked Rider powers. He knew just enough about the Morphing Grid to allow me to temporarily sever the Rangers' connection to it and cause a rather painful backslash in the process. It will only last a few hours but by then it will be too late."

"What do you want?" King Lexian growled with venom in his voice. "I want what I've always wanted old man" Dregon replied "perform the ritual of transference and give the Masked Rider powers to me. You have my word that I shall be the mightiest champion ever recorded in Edenoi's history."

"Never!" Lexian cried defiantly "I would rather die and see the powers destroyed than surrender them to the likes of you! You dishonor the legacy of our ancestors with your black heart!"

"No father, it is you who dishonor our ancestors" Dregon replied calmly. "For years, you have driven our society into the ground and as Masked Rider; you've raised far more devils than you can put down. Belrad attacked because you turned your back on him and your poor handling of the crisis lead to the death of my mother, your wife! Grandfather was a fool to let you succeed him!"

Lexian did not respond, seemingly contemplating his son's words. Dregon smiled bitterly and continued "then of course, there am me, your greatest failure. For years, I have tried to earn your favor but it was never enough! You never cared for me or loved me as a father should! Mother was the only one who loved me and you let her die! You never loved her! You wanted her to die!"

"Dregon, please stop this!" Ryu cried out "you know what you're saying isn't true. Father loved you, we all did and we still do! Please, let us help you!"

Dregon snorted at this. "Please, you all will only stand in my way. You are weak and soft, too restrained by compassion to do what is needed. As Masked Rider, I will be above such foolish emotions and bring true order not only to Edenoi, but this entire galaxy!"

"You're mad!" Ryu screamed, bringing Dregon out of his rant "you're no brother of mine!" "SILENCE!" Dregon roared as he unleashed a massive bolt of energy at his brother. The first born prince was killed on contact.

"RYU!" Kella screamed and fell to her knees weeping as the Maggots suddenly released her. Dregon chuckled coldly at the scene and sneered "do not waste your tears on him woman. The worst is yet to come."

With a gesture, Dregon caused an image of the capital to appear on the nearby wall. Nafaria, along with Cycloptor and Double Face, were rampaging across the capital with an army of Cogwartz. They slaughtered anyone in their way and reveled in the sound of screams. Fire and smoke were already blackening the once clear sky. Dregon gave a small smile of approval before making the image vanish and turning back to his captors.

"Do you see father? The force field is tied to my alchemy. Thanks to my modifications, no one gets in or out of the city unless I will it. People are dying and your army is trapped outside the city unable to do anything. But you and only you can end the suffering. Simply grant me the powers I rightfully deserve."

"Lexian, please don't! You can't!" Kella begged her father-in-law, who remained silent. "Silence woman" Dregon commanded "only he can end the planet's suffering!"

Lexian finally raised his head and glanced over at the helpless Genesis Rangers, still unable to move or speak. He then looked to Kella's pleading face and the lifeless body of Ryu, his first born. In that instant, his choice was made and he turned back to Dregon. "You are right Dregon, only I can end this and I will. Ecto-phase activate!"

Transforming into Masked Rider Black, Lexian easily broke free of the Maggots holding him and flipped one over his shoulder, slamming it into the floor and destroying it. He then delivered a hard kick to the other and destroyed it as well. The other two charged the warrior king but met their end by his electro saber. Dregon was having to concentrate on controlling the force field generator and could only conjure up very weak Maggots while doing so.

"Kella, get out of here!" Lexian yelled to his daughter-in-law "Find Alpha and get to safety quick!" "But-" "GO!" Kella reluctantly obeyed, leaving father and son to face each other alone.

"You have chosen very poorly father" Dregon sneered at his sire "you know you can't win." "It does not have to be this way Dregon. Despite all you've done, you're still my son and I do love you no matter what you might think. But if you continue to threaten Edenoi, you leave me no choice..." Lexian tightened his grip on his electro saber before continuing in a hushed voice "...I must end you."

Dregon simply laughed. "Just try it old man." A broadsword appeared in Dregon's hands and he got into a proper dueling stance. For several long minutes, they spoke not a word and then, attacked.

Lexian was surprised to see Dregon match him blow for blow as their blades clashed. Had his son always been this good a swordsman? How had he not noticed before? Could Dregon have perhaps been right about him? Had he truly been such a terrible father to his youngest son?

Lexian allowed these questions to occupy his mind and Dregon was quick to gain an advantage. He forced the fight over to the far side of the room and Lexian soon found himself pinned against the wall as Dregon leaned in close. "How does it feel?" The youngest prince whispered "how does it feel to be brought down by the son you consider a failure while your beloved Ryu lies dead at my feet?"

"I've never considered you a failure Dregon. You were right when you said I hadn't been a good father to you and for that, I'm truly sorry" Lexian whispered "but I never thought it would drive you to this! What would your mother say if she could see you now?"

For a moment, Dregon's expression changed to one of sadness and perhaps regret. In that same moment, his offense weakened and allowed Lexian to gain control of the duel. The warrior king pressed his advantage until he was able to dominate and eventually disarm Dregon. The youngest prince soon found himself pinned the wall with the electro saber at his throat.

"The game is over Dregon, tell your army to surrender. You are still my son and with time, you may redeem yourself...and become a worthy Masked Rider."

Dregon merely laughed wickedly. "Over? You old fool! You truly think offering me the position of Masked Rider will make me give up all I've worked for? This game has only just begun!"

In a blaze of flame, Dregon vanished but Lexian somehow knew he had not gone far. He also knew now that the boy who had been his son was gone and could not be saved. Steeling himself for the battle to come, Lexian leaped from the window and yelled out "Turbine, let's roll!" Hoping that the weakened Dregon had lost some control over the force field, Lexian found his faith rewarded when his trusted motorcycle arrived to catch him.

He rode only a short distance until he caught sight of Dregon and his henchmen. "Destroy him! The rogue prince bellowed, his eyes blazing with hate at the sight of his sire. The robotic biker Cycloptor mounted Cannon Wheels, his own motorcycle, and charged the oncoming Turbine with his laser firing full blast.

Turbine easily dodged the assault and fired a blast of his own that disarmed Cycloptor. Lexian then leaped off his bike with a yell of "Rider Kick!" The special attack nailed Cycloptor and sent him flying off Cannon Wheels. Nafaria and Double Face attacked together but they were no match and easily beaten. Soon, Dregon was all alone,

"Surrender Dregon" Lexian sounded as if he was pleading "I don't wish to harm you." Dregon was shaking with rage. All his years of planning, wasted! He refused to let it end this way. "DIE!"

With a roar of rage, Dregon unleashed a blast of energy at his father in a final desperate attack. Lexian was quick to react and pulled out his electo-saber, using it to deflect the blast. Dregon was struck by his own attack at full force. "! MY FACE!"

The corrupted prince fell to the ground, writhing in agony as Lexian looked down at him in pity. Before the warrior king could make a move however, a massive shadow fell over them both. Lexian looked up to see a monstrous ship modeled after a spider soaring above them. This was the Spider Base, a side project Dregon had created for a quick escape if his plans were foiled. It was being piloted by Gork with assistance from Fact.

Fact was a miniature robot designed by Dregon in his youth to impress Lexian. He was programmed to process statistical data and probability but this went unnoticed by Lexian, who was at the time preoccupied with building Alpha One with Ryu. Dregon was so jealous of Alpha One that he sabotaged him, causing him to be shut down but all this did was serve to start the whole Alpha line. Now Fact was reprogrammed to aid Dregon's conquest and had even coordinated most of the Insectovore attacks. He had predicted Dregon's plan would fail somehow and convinced Gork to pilot the Spider Base on a rescue mission.

"Approaching target" Fact reported as he hovered near Gork "landing to commence in approximately three minutes." "Oh, do be quiet you bucket of bolts!" Gork snapped. "Can't you see I'm trying to rescue those dolts?" Using the Spider Base's limited defenses, Gork fired lasers at King Lexian and forced to duck for cover. He then landed near the recovered Insectovores, who had taken advantage and grabbed Dregon.

"Hurry and retrieve our sire unless you wish to raise his ire!" Gork shouted to his comrades as they climbed onboard with Dregon in tow. Lexian watched them take off, unable to stop them. At the same time, both the Cogwartz attacking the capital and the force field surrounding it vanished. It was finally over. But as Lexian mounted Turbine and began the trip home, he somehow knew he had not seen the last of Dregon.

A few days later on Edenoi, the Genesis Rangers were ready to depart and though Lexian has declined membership in the Order of Meledon, great friendships had been formed. They had prolonged their stay to offer support during Ryu's burial and the birth of Kella's child, a strong and healthy boy whom she named Dex after his great grandfather. In Dex, Edenoi would have a new king and if fate demanded it, a new Masked Rider. However, as Lexian cradled his new grandson in his arms, he prayed such a thing never came to pass. He now knew that the Masked Rider was more that just Edenoi's traditional protector but also a force that could destroy families if not handled properly.

As the Rangers prepared to leave, Alpha Five said one last goodbye to Zordon. "Will you come visit me some day Zordon?" The little robot asked as he hugged the White Genesis Ranger. "Of course Alpha" Zordon replied with a warm smile "I have a feeling that one day, fate will pair us both up for a grand adventure."

While everyone else was touched by this display of affection, Cronos was disgusted. Feeling emotion for a robot? How idiotic could that stupid Eltarian be! How did he ever get mixed up with this bunch of weaklings?

The more the Black Ranger thought, the darker his thoughts became. He had heard every word of Prince Dregon's speech to his father though he could not move or speak, and it made sense. Zordon was just too soft on his enemies and so were the rest of them. How could they hope to defeat Dark Specter if they were too cowardly to kill?

Cronos turned and scowled in disgust at his team. What were the Morphing Masters thinking when they chose Zordon to lead? All because his father aided them? Maybe he should quit and create his own team of Power Rangers. A team of Power Rangers who would do whatever it took to enforce justice!

But Cronos' conscience spoke up and he forgot such thoughts. He did have some sense of loyalty after all. But as he teleported home with his comrades, he failed to notice the dark presence watching him who had heard his thoughts. he failed to notice Dark Specter.

The Grand Monarch of Evil watched with interest at the scene before him and a smile formed across his hideous face. "SO,THE EVIL IN THE BLACK RANGER'S HEART GROWS JUST A BIT STRONGER" Dark Specter mused "HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN JUST BARELY IN CONTROL OF HIS INNER DARKNESS. PERHAPS HE JUST NEEDS A PUSH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION..." So Dark Specter began to plan, never what effect it would have on the universe itself.

Part 3: Winds of Change

That night in the Command Center, Cronos tossed and turned feverishly, in the midst of a horrifying nightmare. He was reliving his past, a past few knew of. It was his past as a prince of a planet called Nim, located in what was known as the Dark Galaxy.

The Dark Galaxy was called the slums of the universe for it was the most crime ridden galaxy ever known. Anarchy ruled and justice was a foreign concept. Very few remembered how it got that way but all knew Nim to be the center of it all. Ruled over by King Sin and Queen Mora, Nim was a safe haven for criminals and monsters alike. The monarchy had done business with the most evil villains in the universe and behaved more like mafia leaders than royalty. As their only son, Cronos was subject to his parents' wrath on nearly every occasion, being beaten and verbally abused by both on them on a daily basis. For the first seventeen years of his life, Cronos felt nothing but rage towards everyone around him and he dreamed of the day when he could fight back. This day finally came when Ivan Ooze visited Nim to purchase a power source for his Ectomorphicon Titans {which would ultimately end up being a fake} and offered to form an alliance with the monarchy in exchange for slave labor. Both were quick to agree and even offered Cronos up as a slave, thinking it would make a man out of him.

Ivan was feeling particularly sadistic that day and sought to test how tough Cronos truly was. He unleashed wave upon wave of dark energy upon the young prince, putting him through pain not experienced in even the depths of the Shadow World while his parents' taunting laughter rang in his ears. It was at that moment that something snapped within the young prince as he entered into an animalistic rage that caused him to attack his tormentors. Ivan managed to avoid the attack but Cronos savagely killed his parents with his bare hands, releasing years of pent up hatred towards them in the process.

He then turned towards Ivan but the demon warlock merely laughed and thanked him for the "cheap entertainment" before departing. Cronos screamed and cursed Ivan until he was in tears, his emotions finally becoming too much for him. In the next moment, he was standing before the Morphing Masters. They promised he would be given the power to stop Ivan but only if he learned to control the dark emotions in his heart. While he had never managed to quell his rage completely, the majority of darkness in his heart been kept at bay by his years as a Ranger. However, as he woke from his dream, having once again experienced all the suffering from that day, the darkness in his heart began to stir once more. Dark Specter laughed wickedly as the first phase of his plan was completed.

In the days that followed, the Grand Monarch continues to torment Cronos by manipulating his dreams and invading his thoughts during battle. He whispered thoughts of treachery in the Black Ranger's ear and taunted him for his weakness but still Cronos would not give in. Even so, Dark Specter knew the darkness within his foe was steadily beginning to consume him. It was just a matter of time before the Power Rangers fell.

One day, the Morphing Masters sent the Rangers to capture the Wizard of Deception, an evil mage who specialized in illusions and deceit. Under Dark Specter's orders, the Wizard had disguised himself as an ambassador and infiltrated a peace conference between two warring planets. He then proceeded to murder the delegates and send an entire galaxy into chaos. The Rangers trailed him far across many galaxies until they arrived at the long dead planet of Cimmeria. As they traversed the ancient ruins, their Power Weapons were at the ready should anyone, or anything attack them.

"The Wizard has got to be hiding around here somewhere" Zordon announced to his team "Jarella, can you sense anything?" "Nothing of the Wizard" the Pink Ranger reported "but I can sense faint traces of the Morphing Grid all around these ruins. It almost feels like our powers are somehow connected to this entire planet." "Well, ancient legends do say that the original Morphing Masters used this planet as a home base during the first Great War" Borgon spoke up "it's possible a portion of their spirits may still remain here." "It's their legacy" Dulcea whispered in awe "our legacy."

"YES, A LEGACY I INTEND TO ERASE ON THIS DAY!" Before the Rangers could react to the dark voice that came out of nowhere, the planet began to shake. The sky turned pitch black as crimson lightning streaked across it. A massive bolt struck the planer itself, opening up the very core and allowing a massive figure to rise from it. The Genesis Rangers shared a collective gasp as Dark Specter himself towered over them.

"WELCOME RANGERS" the Grand Monarch hissed "THE WIZARD HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB AT LURING YOU TO THE SCENE OF YOUR FINAL BATTLE. YOU SIX HAVE BEEN A THORN IN MY SIDE FOR THE LAST FEW THOUSAND YEARS AND TODAY, IT ENDS! I'M DONE LETTING MY UNDERLINGS FAIL ME TIME AND TIME AGAIN. TODAY,YOU'LL FALL BY MY HAND!"

The Rangers reacted without a second thought. "Zords, arise!" The Genesis Zords appeared to their owners' summons and the Megazord was quickly formed for what would be the Rangers' final and most glorious battle.

Though Dark Specter rarely entered the battlefield, it was often said his power could tear the universe itself apart. Today, the Rangers found out just how true that was. The Grand Monarch was a thousand times stronger than anything they ever encountered and the force of their battle seemed to shake the foundation of the galaxy itself. Eventually, the Megazord began charging the Grid Blade to full power and the Rangers prayed it would be enough. They watched in horror as the Grand Monarch not only shrugged off the attack but began ripping the Magazord apart piece by piece, starting with the Cerberus Zord. The last thing Cronos heard before all went dark were the screams of his teammates.

...

Cronos awoke after what felt like days later to find himself in some sort of dungeon, unmorphed and chained to a wall. What had happened? Where was he? Where were the others?

As his memories slowly returned to him, Cronos came to a horrifying realization: he was the last Ranger alive. Dark Specter had obviously destroyed the others and kept him alive as a sort of trophy. Now, he was the only one left to stand against the United Alliance of Evil.

The more Cronos thought, the more helpless the situation seemed. What chance had he against Dark Specter's vast legions. What chance had any of them had? For the last few thousand years, they had battled and accomplished nothing truly significant. What was the point of it all? Dark Specter was invincible!

"Ah, you're awake" a new voice spoke up and shook Cronos from his thoughts. He watched as the shadows around him merged together to form a hooded figure with a demonic face. This was the Wizard of Deception. The evil mage gazed at his foe with an almost friendly smile and said "hello Black Ranger."

At the sight of the Wizard, Cronos' rage returned. He tugged at his chains with all his might, hoping to break free and attack the wicked mage. "Why are you here monster!" the Black Ranger demanded to know "have you come to boast how your master destroyed my team!"

To Cronos' shock, the Wizard laughed. "Calm down Cronos, your team is safe. The Dark Specter you faced was an illusion of mine and nothing more. I simply took the fear you all had of one day facing him and brought it to life. Truthfully, you all worry too much. The master is mighty to be sure but nowhere near as powerful as you all think. One planet destroying missile could take him down easy but no one's crazy enough to try it."

Cronos was about to snap at the mage for daring to talk to him as a friend but instead asked "where is my team?" "Still in there Zords but frozen in time" the Wizard replied "the illusion ended the minute I grabbed you and I didn't want them following us. Illusions may be my forte but I am as gifted in all kinds of spells as any other wizard." Cronos narrowed his eyes and asked "why am I here?"

"You're here because you need to learn the truth" the Wizard replied "all I ask is that you hear me out. Fighting won't do any good anyway since I took your morpher and I'll only give it back after I've said what I have to say." A quick glance at his bare waist confirmed the Wizard's claim and after weighing his options, Cronos decided he had no choice. He wordlessly beckoned the Wizard to continue.

With a wave of his wand, the Wizard caused the dungeon to change into scenes of planets in chaos. Wars were breaking out all across the universe and they were more horrible than anything Cronos had ever seen. Seeing the Black Ranger's horror, the Wizard began to explain. "What you're seeing is the universe of the future. A future where Dark Specter has been destroyed."

"This can't be! How could the destruction of evil lead to all of this!" Cronos exclaimed "the end of the War was supposed to bring peace!" The Wizard frowned.

"Peace is a lie " the Wizard explained. "All your battles have done little to stem the tide of chaos and anarchy plaguing the universe. The Morphing Masters of both past and present failed to see the stupidity of concepts like compassion and mercy. Granting people this will only allow them to commit atrocities. You yourself know compassion is a weakness. Only the total domination brought about by so called 'evil' can bring about true order. Dark Specter knows you are aware of this and wishes for you to join him."

The evil mage chuckled under his breath as he watched Cronos' horrified face. The master had weakened Cronos' spirit through manipulation but only the Wizard of Deception could make him believe such obvious lies. He was so glad he convinced Dark Specter to use him for this job instead of that brute Goldgoyle.

But the Black Ranger was still somewhat resistant to the Wizard's enchantments. "What about Zordon and the others?"

"They are loyal pawns" the Wizard replied sadly "Zordon and the rest have manipulated you into serving them. Think about it, how many times have they stopped you from enforcing true justice? How many times have they gotten in the way of things you desire?" As he said this, the Wizard conjured up an image of Dulcea, who Cronos secretly pined for. He then changed it to Zordon and Dulcea's wedding and watched rage overtake Cronos once more.

"They have always stood in my way" the Black Ranger growled as the Wizard began changing the scenes to past battles where Cronos was either reprimanded or pushed to the side. "They have always made me feel weak and inferior just like everyone else!" The scenes changed again to Cronos' childhood, showing everything from his parents beating him to Ivan Ooze torturing him. The more Cronos watched, the more enraged he became and the more darkness consumed him.

"But I am not weak anymore! I will never be weak again!" The Wizard smiled as he saw black Morphing Grid energy erupt around Cronos' body. The darkness had finally consumed him.

With a wave of his wand, the Wizard freed his captive and the images vanished. "Now that you know the truth, you must help Dark Specter gain his rightful place as ruler of the universe. He will reward you handsomely once the War is won."

"I need no reward" Cronos snarled with his eyes flashing black "I need only that my enemies be crushed, starting with Zordon!"

"Go to it then. The Rangers are free from the spell but I transported them to various locations around Cimmeria and one of them is near here." The Wizard explained as he handed Cronos his Morpher "destroy whoever approaches and hunt down the others. The master himself will give you new orders then. Good luck!"

With that the Wizard vanished, leaving Cronos to wait for his prey. It was only a few minutes later when someone approached the cave. It was Zordon, alone and unmorphed. From the shadows, Cronos grinned wickedly at this turn of events. The day of his vengeance had finally come!

...

Zordon felt as if his mind was in a haze. The last thing he remembered was the whole team piloting the Magazord against Dark Specter himself and the next, he was alone on some remote part of the planet. He had to find the others and fast! It was not long before he found the cave and felt something beckon to him. It was a dark and sinister presence but the White Ranger felt he had to obey,

The moment he entered, Zordon knew he was being watched. He felt an evil presence lurking in the shadows and something about it felt very familiar to him. The White Ranger closed his eyes and attempted to locate this presence with the aid of the Morphing Grid, using it to extend his senses beyond the normal plain of existence. He was so absorbed in this that he hardly noticed the footsteps behind him.

As a cold hand fell on his shoulder, Zordon whipped his head around to see Cronos. The Black Ranger was smiling at his leader but the expression was cold and menacing. It was almost as he was enjoying some twisted secret joke. At first, Zordon didn't seem to notice.

"Cronos! You gave me quite a scare old friend, where are the others?" Cronos merely laughed at Zordon's question. "Friends? Is that what we are Zordon? You could have fooled me."

Cronos laughed again and Zordon narrowed his eyes. Something definitely wasn't right here. "How long have you been here?" "Oh, long enough" Cronos replied casually though still with the same coldness "I have had much time to reflect upon the War and have come to an intriguing conclusion."

Zordon took a step backwards, disturbed by where this was going. "And what have you learned?" "I have learned that we are mere pawns in the battle between the Morphing Masters and Dark Specter" Cronos replied in a venomous tone, his strange facade fading. "And I have learned that there is much wisdom in Dark Specter's philosophy. Peace and justice are mere illusions used to control the weak! Only through domination and fear can order truly be achieved. That's why I intend to join Dark Specter's Alliance and destroy the Morphing Master and all who stand with them!"

"Cronos, you don't know what you're saying!" Zordon exclaimed as a raging black aura surrounded Cronos "it's the Wizard of Deception! He's done something to you!"

"Yes, he has shown me who the true villains are in this War." Cronos sneered as his aura grew larger "and as long as you live, you are a threat to true universal order. Therefore, you and all others like you must die!"

Letting out a roar of rage, Cronos rushed his former comrade and began to engage him. While he had vastly improved since the days of his boyhood, Zordon was still a poor hand to hand combatant compared to the rest of his team and relied on his skill as a wizard when forced to fight unmorphed. After blocking his former comrade's first few attacks, Zordon began hurling magical attacks at his foe. Cronos attempted to return the assault with his limited sorcery but he didn't have the natural talent for magic that Zordon possessed. He was eventually blasted into the nearby cave wall and Zordon stood over him in triumph.

"We should get you to the Morphing Masters. They should be able to purge the Wizard's influence from you." Cronos got his feet and glared at Zordon, his aura growing even larger. He pulled out his morpher and yelled "power of the Morphing Grid! Cerberus!"

Cronos became the Black Ranger in a flash of light, his aura still blazing. Summoning his Necro Axe, he rushed at his former comrade. Zordon quickly took out his own morpher and yelled "power of the Morphing Grid! Titan!"

Zordon became the White Ranger and summoned his Titan Saber just in time to block the Necro Axe. the two Rangers then began to battle once more on more even terms. Cronos soon gained the advantage however due to being more connected with his part of the Morphing Grid. He soon had Zordon pinned with the Necro Axe ready to strike.

"If only Dulcea could see you now" the rogue Black Ranger hissed "so pathetic! She will soon learn that she married the wrong man." Cronos raised his axe above Zordon's head and readied himself for the final blow, savoring every moment. Suddenly a yellow energy construct in the form of a griffin appeared to attack Cronos, forcing him back.

Before the rogue Black Ranger could recover, he was attacked by twin streams of red and blue flame that kept him pinned against the cave wall. This lasted just long enough for vines to appear and restrain his arms and legs. A weakened Zordon demorphed and rose to his feet confused. What had happened?

He then turned around and gave a quick smile. The rest of the Genesis Rangers stood there, morphed and battle ready. "Took you long enough" Zordon joked "how did you find me?" "We felt you fighting through the Morphing Grid and tracked you both here" Quasar replied "it was pretty hard to miss."

"I wish we could say this is a shock Cronos, but we always knew this day would come." Dulcea spoke to the captive Cronos as the other Rangers demorphed. "You'll be brought before the Morphing Masters to face judgment and be stripped of your powers and Ranger status. With luck, your years of service will persuade them to be merciful."

Cronos' aura flared once more and he broke his restraints with an animalistic growl. But rage had not yet robbed the rogue Black Ranger of his common sense. Rather than try and fight the whole team, he merely glared and yelled "this isn't over! I will become more powerful than even the Morphing Grid itself and all you will die by my hand, starting with you Zordon!" With that, Cronos was gone but they knew it wasn't over yet.

A moment of silence passed before Dulcea spoke up. "What do we do beloved? Follow him?" "No, not yet." Zordon replied "for now, we must report back to the Morphing Masters and tell them that one of us has gone rogue."

...

On a barren planetoid not far from Cimmeria, Cronos kneeled as the visage of his new master appeared before him. "YOU HAVE FAILED ME CRONOS" Dark Specter rumbled "THE RANGERS STILL LIVE!" "Forgive me my lord but they overpowered me" Cronos replied while trying to hide the fear in his voice "it will not happen again" "NO,IT WILL NOT" Dark Specter replied firmly "YOU WILL BE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE BUT YOU MUST FORESAKE YOUR FORMER LIFE. SURRENDER YOUR POWER COIN TO ME."

Cronos removed his Power Coin from his morpher and placed it in Dark Specter's monstrous hand. the Grand Monarch proceeded to crush the Coin, reducing it to dust as Cronos felt his connection to the Morphing Grid fade. He looked up at the Grand Monarch, whose face was split into a demonic grin. "It BEGINS...NOW!"

Part 4: Dawn of Destiny

In the months that followed, change rippled across the universe. Rather than tell how one of the legendary Power Rangers had gone rogue, the others reported that Cronos had died in battle against the Wizard of Deception. They felt this was the best way to prevent universal panic while they attempted to uncover Cronos' whereabouts. However, with the team weakened, the United Alliance began to slowly gain a foothold over the universe. Heroes all over the universe were being overwhelmed. The Magna Defender had lost his wife and son while struggling against Scorpious and now traveled the universe in search of revenge, the Galaxy Book had been stolen from the Guardian, Loyax had converted to evil due to being overwhelmed by the War, Baskin was hopping from planet to planet with the Evil, and Auric's Tiki had to be moved to a secret location far beyond the known galaxies. Even the Warrior Goddess and Sentinel Knight were overwhelmed, She had vanished off the face of her home world with Excelsior and Sentinel Knight had scattered the jewels of the Corona Aurora to an unknown world after a failed attempt by the warlords Moltor and Flurious to steal it, transforming the brothers into creatures of fire and ice in the process. It was a dark time for the forces of good that would become known as the Age of Sorrow.

But rather than celebrate, Dark Specter remained focused on his new minion. Cronos was trained in dark magic by the Grand Monarch himself but in order to fully unlock his potential, the former Black Ranger would have to be completely transformed. That was why he now stood on planet Nega, said to be the first planet on which the Akuma appeared eons ago. Cronos stood before a massive lava pit where the Akuma first emerged and gave birth to evil itself. It was rumored that a portion of their life force still existed within even after their spirits merged to create Dark Specter.

"HERE MY SERVANT IS WHERE YOUR TRAINING BECOMES COMPLETE" Dark Specter hissed "ONCE YOU SUBMERGE YOURSELF IN THE POOL OF DARKNESS,YOU WILL PERISH AND BE REBORN AS A BEING OF TRUE EVIL WITH ALL THE POWERS OF DARK MAGIC AT YOUR DISPOSAL. ALL MEMORIES OF YOUR FORMER LIFE WILL BE ERASED AND THE WEAKNESS IMPLANTED IN YOU BY THE MORPHING MASTERS WILL BE FOREVER DESTROYED! ARE YOU READY?"

"I am" Cronos responded. "THEN LET THE REBIRTH OF EVIL BEGIN!" Cronos stepped into the Pool of Darkness and allowed his entire body to be submerged, Storm clouds gathered and lightning flashed to symbolize the transformation taking place.

Dark Specter smiled wickedly at the scene taking place. It was just as when he transformed Sir Ivan of Mercuria into Ivan Ooze thousands of years ago. Soon, he would have a new servant to spread evil in his name and crush the forces of good. It was just a matter of time...

Moments later, a new being rose from the Pool. He was a foot taller than Cronos and clad in menacing red and silver armor with long black hair trailing down his back. His hands possessed long and menacing fingers that made them resemble claws and were protected by silver fingerless gauntlets. His face was hidden by a dark red visor and silver grill mouth piece. He wore a small crown around his head with a horn extending from it that was tipped with a small letter "z" and in his left hand; he held a large silver staff topped with a bigger version of the same "z."

"THE TRANSFORMATION IS NOW COMPLETE" Dark Specter announced "WHO ARE YOU?" "I am Lord Zedd" the new being announced in a deep and gravelly voice "emperor of all I see and sworn enemy of all that is good and decent." "WHOM DO YOU SERVE?" "I humbly serve Dark Specter, Grand Monarch of evil and vow to conquer the universe in his name." Lord Zedd said as he bowed.

Dark Specter chuckled. "AND WHO IS YOUR ENEMY?" At this, Zedd grew angry and his body began to glow red. "Zordon of Eltar is my mortal enemy and I will crush him and all who follow him!"

Dark Specter smiled. It seemed Zedd still retained some memories of his former life on a subconscious level, including his hatred of Zordon. Ivan was the only one to have been transformed with his memories intact. Perhaps it was because Ivan was already fully corrupt? Or perhaps the Black Ranger simply wished to forget his former life all along.

"GO THEN LORD ZEDD, AND SPREAD MY WRATH ACROSS THE STARS!" Dark Specter ordered "CARVE A GRAND EMPIRE IN MY NAME AND DESTROY ALL WHO STAND IN YOUR WAY,BEGINNING WITH THE POWER RANGERS!" "yes master! I shall not fail you" And with that, Zedd was gone.

...

Over the next year, Lord Zedd recruited a vast army of warriors and launched a campaign to conquer all within his sight. He easily took control of his home galaxy and had already begun pushing forward into the neighboring Radar Galaxy before he came into contact with the Genesis Rangers. The team fought his forces across multiple worlds, having to concentrate all their efforts around a single galaxy for the first time and having to set up another temporary Command Center on a dead planetoid on the galaxy's far edge. It was the greatest battle of the Rangers' lives as they struggled to at least stalemate Lord Zedd's growing empire.

One day, the planet of Dreko came under siege by Zedd's forces. The planet was small but said to be home to the Eternal Pyre, a legendary mystic flame said to burn forever and give energy to all things within its presence. Lord Zedd had been targeting various sources of energy for several weeks now in an attempt to power the secret weapon he was constructing. Rumor had it that it was a monstrous battle mecha called Serpenterra that could destroy whole galaxies in a matter of hours.

Leading the assault was Zedd's chief general, a mighty warrior called Goldar of the planet Titan. Goldar was a monstrous winged ape creature clad in golden armor and was easily the strongest of Zedd's minions. With his sword in hand, he led his master's armies across the galaxy in search of conquest. In the short time since Zedd recruited him, he had already gained a reputation as the most bloodthirsty warrior ever known.

The attack on Dreko was swift and brutal. Goldar had shown up with an army of Zedd's soldiers and proceeded to lay waste to all within his sight. The Drekonians tried to fight back but to no avail. Goldar's forces were just too brutal.

"Show no mercy!" Goldar roared to his troops as the slaughter continued "let nothing stand in the way of our master's will!" The evil General cackled as his trusty sword sliced through another attacking Drekoniian. Within the hour, his forces would reach the heart of the capital and the site of the Temple of Embers, where the ancient Drakonians were said to have hidden the Eternal Pyre. Lord Zedd would be most pleased with this conquest. With any luck, his master would reward him with his own planet to rule.

As another Drekonian soldier attempted to fight Goldar and lost, the Titanian warrior raised his weapon above his head and prepared to end another life. "Please spare me, I only became old enough to enlist months ago!" The young soldier begged "I am too young to die!"

"No such thing" Goldar replied with a nasty grin "say good night!" Before the sword came crashing down however, a white blur leaped down from above and knocked Goldar backwards with a swift kick. The young soldier looked up to see that his savior was none other than Zordon. "The White Ranger" the soldier gasped, awed by the presence of a living legend.

"You and the others get to safety quick" Zordon ordered "I'll hold him off. Hurry!" The young soldier was quick to obey as two foes faced each other. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the White Ranger himself" Goldar taunted "where are the rest of you? I was hoping to see that wife of yours again."

Zordon glared beneath his helmet. He had been forced to split up the team in order to deal with multiple attacks occurring across the galaxy. It was just one Ranger each facing down a portion of Lord Zedd's vast army across five separate worlds. His last communication with any of them was days ago and he was secretly losing hope.

"I'm more than enough to handle you Goldar, you know that" Zordon said in a low voice. "Maybe, but can you handle them? Attack!" Goldar's troops rushed the White Ranger armed with blasters and swords drawn. Zordon summoned his Titan Saber and stood ready to face the oncoming assault.

The Morphing Masters had said that Zordon was the strongest Ranger on the team and more powerful than the other five combined. However, he was still not without his limitations. He fought as hard as he could but eventually, the sheer number of Goldar's troops began to overwhelm him. It seemed each time he took down ten, a hundred took their place.

Goldar howled with bloodlust as he watched Zordon be overcome, his species' natural thirst for violence swiftly overtaking him. "Yes, that's it" he crowed loudly to his troops "utterly obliterate him! Destroy his soul!" Goldar was so busy imagining the benefits that he would reap from this kill that he failed to notice the cloaked figure appearing on the cliff behind him.

Almost instinctively, the figure reached behind his back and produced a large green bow before turning his gaze to the scene below him. By now, Zordon's entire body had been engulfed by the monstrous gathering of enemies attacking him but his struggles could still be heard. Now was the time to strike. The figure pulled back his bowstring ever so gently and a column of green energy formed within, taking the shape of an arrow.

The figure released the energy arrow and it streaked downward at breakneck speed, sailing over Goldar's head before he noticed it. In the next instant, a huge explosion erupted and scattered Goldar's troops across the battlefield. Zordon stood in the middle of the scene, unharmed but confused

"Who dares!" Goldar roared as he turned around and caught sight of the stranger. "Who are you! How dare you interfere with my conquest!

"You ask a lot of questions for a soldier monkey boy" the hooded figure replied in a cocky voice "but I'm in a good mood so I'll answer them. I dare because unlike you, I don't intend to spend my life licking Lord Zedd's boots. As for who I am..." the figure threw off his cloak and shocked everyone, including Zordon. Standing before them was a new Genesis Ranger clad in bright green. The emblem of a Pegasus could be seen on his chest. "...why don't you just call me the Green Ranger?"

Leaping off the cliff, the mysterious Green Ranger landed in front of the still confused Zordon and stared defiantly at Goldar. "And I interfered because Zordon of Eltar is far too important to be killed by the likes of you!" Goldar let out a deep growl of anger, his red eyes flashing. "I don't know how this happened and I don't care! There could be a thousand of you and I wouldn't care! Destroy them!

"Fine by me" the Green Ranger said as he faced more attacking troops "Battle Bow!" Instantly, the bow the Green Ranger carried transformed into a crossbow attached to his wrist. He could now fire more powerful energy arrows at a continuous rate and tore through Goldar's troops faster than ever. "Feel free to jump in at any time!" The Green Ranger called to Zordon.

The White Ranger snapped out of his daze and quickly summoned his own Power Weapon back to his hand. He then joined his new ally in battle, though he was not without questions. "Who are you?" Zordon asked "and how did you get these powers?"

"There will be time for answers later" replied the Green Ranger even as he fought "but know that I am most definitely on your side." Zordon could sense this was the truth and so he questioned the Green Ranger no more and continued battling. Soon, Goldar was alone against them. "Your troops are gone Goldar" Zordon announced "ready to give up?"

Goldar's eyes flashed even brighter and he let out a blood curdling roar. He launched himself at his foes, flying straight at them. It was brief fight before he realized that he was outmatched. "Another day Rangers" the Titanian warrior snarled before vanishing from sight.

Now alone, Zordon demorphed and turned to the Green Ranger. "My thanks, whoever you are" he said with a smile. "It was an honor sir" the Green Ranger replied as he demorphed as well. He stood before Zordon as a Kerovian male with brown eyes and dark hair. He was clad in some sort of space suit and looked no older than Zordon was when he became a Ranger.

"I am Arron of KO-35" the newcomer said "the Morphing Masters recruited me some time ago when your team first began fighting Zedd's forces. They trained me in secret and entrusted me with the new Power Coin they created to strengthen your team. "But how?" Zordon asked as he now noticed Arron's morpher "there is no Green aspect to to the Morphing Grid spectrum."

"There wasn't until they created it" Arron said with a smile. "They can do that?" "There will be time for more questions later. Right now, your team is waiting for you." "My team!" Arron nodded and the two Rangers teleported away.

...

In the inky depths of space, Lord Zedd's warship hovered like a predator searching for prey. It was a monstrous vessel that was nearly as big as a Zord and struck fear into those unfortunate enough to see it. With time, Zedd hoped to convert it into his own personal battle-mecha known as Serpenterra, meant to be the ultimate weapon. All he needed was a proper power source.

That was why Goldar dreaded walking the ship's corridors towards his master's personal quarters. In his short time under Lord Zedd, he had found the self-proclaimed emperor had no tolerance for failure. There were already rumors of another general that had served under Lord Zedd before Goldar and had suffered horribly for failing to defeat the Rangers in battle. While he doubted they were true given Zedd's short time in power, it still sent chills down Goldar's spine.

Goldar arrived at his destination and kneeled before his master's throne, which had its back turned to him. "My Lord, forgive me for I have failed" the warrior of Titan said humbly "the Eternal Pyre could not be retrieved as you ordered." Lord Zed's throne revolved to face Goldar, allowing the self-proclaimed emperor to look down upon his chief general. Zedd's staff was strangely absent and a massive cobra encircled his shoulders.

"You surprise me Goldar" Zed spoke more calmly than Goldar had imagined "are your people not famed for their skills as warriors? Did your ancestors not fight in the first Great War? Were you not considered the pride of your family when I recruited you? Zedd's questions were rhetorical in nature and only made Goldar feel greater shame for his loss.

Lord Zedd stood up from his throne and his next words shocked Goldar. "I would usually execute you for such a failure but I am in a good mood today. My sources have revealed to me a power source far greater than the Eternal Pyre. Tell me Goldar, have you heard the legend of the Zeo Crystal?"

Goldar lifted his head and his eyes widened in shock. The Zeo Crystal was an ancient artifact that dated back to the first Great War and was said to be located on the distant world of Triforia. Triforians were trifold beings whose three personalities were contained in one body and could only be separated through extreme pain. Ancient legends said that Triforia's first ruler, Lord Triangus, feared the Morphing Masters would be unable to defeat the Akuma's newly forged Sword of Darkness. To this end, he summoned the planet's most powerful sorcerer and ordered him to find a way to defend the people. The sorcerer obeyed and went to work experimenting to create a power greater than the Sword of Darkness. The Zeo Crystal, which possessed power comparable to the Morphing Grid itself, was the result. It had never been used but Triforia's royals were said to have kept it in their possession for generations.

"But my lord, Triforia will not be an easy conquest" Goldar said as he stood up "it is several days away from our current location and its capital is split in three sectors, each with their own personal army." Lord Zedd growled slightly and his body began to glow. "Do you not think I'm aware of that! . I have already recalled my other generals and dispatched them to Triforia days ago. They are already fighting their way in as we speak. I simply need one more there to distract the Power Rangers should they appear."

"Say no more sire, I'll gather all available troops and be on my way" Goldar said. Lord Zedd laughed at that. "You? You couldn't even beat Zordon and that new one that showed up!"

"You knew sire?" "Of course fool! My telescopic vision reveals all to me and this Green Ranger has already rescued the other Rangers as well. To beat them, we will need something more and I have just the thing."

To Goldar's shock, the cobra around Zedd's shoulders slithered into his hands and transformed into his staff. Goldar had heard rumors that Zedd possessed powerful magic but he had never believed them. He had been drawn to the man by the power of his words and his ruthless cunning. Now, he was seeing first hand just how powerful his master really was.

Lord Zedd noticed Goldar's shock and smiled beneath his faceplate. "Surprised Goldar? I have yet to fully use the power given to me by Dark Specter and I intend to remedy that today. Bring me that war hammer one of the soldiers left behind."

Goldar obeyed and presented the weapon to his master, who pointed his staff at it. "In the name of darkness, arise Thunderer!" A bolt of energy shot from Zedd's staff and caused the hammer to rise into the air as lightning began shooting from it. The lightning began to encircle the hammer, creating a figure that grabbed it before it fell to the ground. Standing before Zedd and Goldar was hideous figure dressed in armor that would one day belong to the Vikings, complete with a horned helmet and fur cape. He was Thunderer, the first of many monsters Lord Zedd would go on to create.

"I am Thunderer" the new creature roared "here to serve you mighty Lord Zedd. What is your bidding?" "You will go to the planet of Triforia and retrieve the Zeo Crystal" Zedd ordered "let nothing stand in your way, least of all the Power Rangers!" "It shall be done" Thunderer bowed and then thumped his hammer on the ground. A bolt of blue lightning struck and when it faded the monster was gone.

A moment passed before Goldar broke the silence. "But master, what of the Rangers? If they are alive, surely they will defend Triforia. What if Thunderer fails?"

"Let them do so" Lord Zedd replied dismissively "even if Thunderer is beaten, the Zeo Crystal is what truly matters. With its power at my command, no force in the universe will be able to stop me! Not the Rangers, not the Morphing Masters, not even Dark Specter will stand in my way!" Zedd laughed triumphantly, unaware that the Grand Monarch could hear his words.

...

Zordon and Arron appeared onboard a massive space ship, larger than any Zordon had ever seen. Arron noticed his amazement and smiled. "Welcome to the Alpha Megaship" he said proudly "created from the best technogy in the entire Kerova system. It was created as a gift from my people for your long years of service. When the Morphing Masters recruited me, I had just finished her." "You built this whole ship?" Zordon asked in amazement "incredible!"

"You're not the only one who thinks so" Arron said as the doors behind them opened. Zordon was overjoyed to see his team standing before him alive and well. "Zordon, beloved!" Dulcea rushed into her husband's embrace and kissed him as passionately as she could. When the kiss ended after what seemed like an eternity, Zordon asked "how did you get here?"

"We wouldn't be here if not for Arron" Borgon replied "he rescued us when Lord Zedd's generals had us outnumbered and brought us here." "Then I am in his debt twice over" Zordon said "it's an honor to have you on the team Arron." The others nodded in agreement and Arron smiled. "The honor is mine but we must hurry, the Morphing Masters want to see us immediately."

Arron led the Rangers to a circular table with chairs for each of them. The moment they sat down, a hologram of the White Master appeared before them all. "Welcome Rangers, it is good to see that you are alive and well" the head Morphing Master said "but you must act quickly for Zedd is on the verge of obtaining one of the most powerful objects in the universe." As the White Master spoke, a new image appeared of a six sided crystal that shown in colors of red, blue, green, yellow, pink, and gold. "The Zeo Crystal!" Borgon exclaimed "it's real?

"Indeed" the White Master confirmed "just as the Lights of Orion that the Magna Defender quests for exist we had one day hoped to connect the Zeo Crystal to the Morphing Grid to enhance your Ranger powers but if Zedd claims it first, the universe may very well be doomed. Even now, he has created a powerful monster that travels to Triforia to claim it and the rest of his forces are already there. You must stop him before it's too late. Good luck and may the Power protect you."

The hologram ended and the Rangers turned to one another, their next course of action clear. "Arron, set a course for Triforia, immediately!" Zordon ordered, his jaw set in determination. The White Ranger silently vowed that Lord Zedd's reign of terror would come to an end or he would die trying.

...

The planet of Triforia was a bright orange planet that sat on the very edge of the Radar galaxy. Since its discovery eons ago, it still held a place as one of the oldest and largest worlds ever known much like its people; the capital city was divided into three sectors, making it appear as if there were three separate kingdoms in one. There was the Kingdom of Wisdom, which was occupied by scholars of all kinds and was home to the great library which contained much of the planet's history. Then there was the Kingdom of Courage, which trained soldiers to serve in the planet's military and taught them the ways of Triforia's ancient warriors. It was such a large military that it too was divided in threes and scattered across each of the three kingdoms to protect them from harm. Lastly, there was the Kingdom of Heart, which contained the very best of Triforian society. Musicians, poets, artists, and philosophers occupied this place and had dedicated themselves to spreading the beauty of their world to those around them in any way possible.

But the most important part of the Kingdom of Heart was the palace of the royal family. It was a massive fortress guarded by three huge walls on each side to prevent a full scale invasion. From within, the royal family dedicated themselves to guiding their people with the principles of courage, wisdom, and heart, creating a harmony unrivaled by anyone else in the galaxy. Sadly, this harmony came to an abrupt end when Lord Zedd's forces appeared to ravage the planet.

For ten days, Zedd's army had rampaged across the Kingdom of Heart, Thousands were dead and over half the city lay in ruin. Despite their best efforts, even the planet's best soldiers were completely overwhelmed. It would only be a matter of hours before they reached the outer walls of the royal palace.

Watching them from atop the palace's highest tower was Lord Tannis, current ruler of Triforia. Tannis was a tall and study man with dark hair and a handsome face framed by a goatee. His crystalline blue eyes were clouded with worry as he watched the carnage unfold from afar. The other Kingdoms had already fallen and if something wasn't done soon, all of Triforia would fall with them.

Tannis inwardly cursed himself for his inaction. Ever since he had succeeded his father, Lord Trenched had sworn to uphold the courage of Triforia above all and to insure his people's protection in this time of war. Now that Lord Zedd's forces had appeared, he hid like a craven coward and awaited the end. What would his ancestors think?

"Your worries are groundless my love, they will never penetrate the outer walls." A new voice shook Tannis from his thoughts and he turned to see his wife, Lady Tamara, staring back at him. Tamara was a petite Triforan woman with dark skin and green eyes who embodied the qualities of compassion, gentleness, and love. She had been Tannis' queen for ten of their planet's years and was best known for helping him keep a calm head during a crisis. While she tried to appear confident in her assertion, Tannis could see traces fear in her eyes and hear the doubt in her voice.

"How can I be certain Tamara?" Tannis asked "Lord Zedd's forces are unlike anything this galaxy has ever seen. Even the Power Rangers struggle against him! If Triforia is to survive, I can no longer cower in hiding. I must face this threat myself, just as my ancestors did."

"NO!" Tamara cried, her fear overtaking her "you have no chance against them!

You are Lord of Triforia and my husband. Above all things, you must survive! If not for the planet, then for us."

Tannis turned his attention to the bundle in his wife's arms. Wrapped in golden blankets, six month old Prince Trey stared back at him. Like his father and all his ancestors before him, he was said to embody the qualities of courage, wisdom, and heart. Next to Tamera, he was Tannis' greatest treasure.

"I'm sorry, I have no choice" Tannis said regretfully "but there may be a way for me to win. Come with me." With that, Tamara followed her husband down below, unsure of what to expect. She did know however, that she trusted him with her life.

A short time later, they arrived at the throne room, which was lined with statues of ancient Triforian deities that were said to guard an ancient and mysterious power. Tamara had never really believed such a thing but she was about to see just how wrong she was. Stepping forward, Tannis said "I am Tannis, Lord of Triforia, son of Toren and Teela, and heir to the line of Triangus. In the name of Terel, god of courage, open!"

Before Tamara's eyes, the throne and the wall behind it slid back to reveal a hidden chamber. Tannis walked forward and beckoned his wife to follow. They entered and soon came to a large pedestal where the Zeo Crystal stood, bathing the chamber in its multicolored glow. Tamara was shocked. She had heard tales of the Zeo Crystal since childhood but assumed it was only a myth.

"This chamber had been kept secret in my family since the days of Lord Triangus" Tannis explained "only the Lord of Triforia is ever allowed to know of it's existence. Few know what would happen if the power of Zeo fell into evil hands." "You're going to use the Zeo Crystal to fight Lord Zedd!" Tamara asked in shock. She had always known her husband to be brave but had never expected anything like this from him.

"No" Tannis replied simply "I'm going to use these." He gestured to the five gems that surrounded the Zeo Crystal on the pedestal. Tamara has been so dazzled by the beauty of the Crystal that she barely noticed them. She now saw that came in colors of red, blue, green, yellow, and pink, mirroring the first five sides of the Zeo Crystal.

"These are the Super Zeo Gems, the second most potent source of Zeo power is existence" Tannis explained. "Eons ago, when the Triforian sorcerer Zeon created the Zeo Crystal from a magical mineral he had discovered beneath the desert, he left five pieces of it unused. His apprentice, a young sorceress known as Zemara, grew jealous of her master's accomplishment and sought to outdo him using the left over mineral. The Super Zeo Gems were the result and were named so, because at the time, they were stronger than the Zeo Crystal. It was only later when they learned that the Crystal grew more powerful over time while the Gems didn't and were overall safer to use. I have been taught to harness their power since childhood in case of an emergency such as this.

So saying, the Super Zeo Gems vanished from the pedestal and appeared on the belt Tannis wore, glowing with power. The Lord of Triforia turned to his wife and said "you must remain here with Trey until it's safe. I promise I will win for the both of you." Before Tamara could answer, a low rumble shook the earth beneath her. The final stand for Triforia was upon them.

...

As the army of Lord Zed made their way to the outer walls of Triforia's royal palace, they were stopped by a massive bolt of lightning that struck the ground in front of them. When the flash faded, a demonic looking Viking holding a large hammer stood before them, glaring hatefully.

"Look alive weaklings!" The newcomer bellowed in a voice like roaring winds "I am Thunderer and Lord Zedd has placed you under my command. We will claim the Zeo Crystal or die trying!"

"Now wait one minute!" The chief general of the mission, a bear-like alien with spikes on his back, protested "we've been here for days and gotten positive results under my command, you can't just take charge now!" "So say you all?" Thunderer asked in a deadly calm voice. The other soldiers chorused their agreement with their leader.

"THEN PERISH!" With a loud roar, Thunderer smashed the ground with his hammer, causing lighting to erupt from it and shock every soldier present. They were reduced to skeletons in seconds. The Viking monster then turned his attention to the royal palace, fully prepared to claim the Zeo Crystal himself.

"For the glory of Lord Zedd!" Thunderer hurled his hammer at the palace walls and they shattered instantly. The hammer then obediently returned to its owner and Thunderer prepared to enter the enemy stronghold. From space, Lord Zedd watched it all with his telescopic vision and laughed wickedly.

"He's done it" Lord Zedd crowed "Thunderer's done it! The Zeo Crystal will be mine at last! Soon, I will be invincible!"

"But my lord" Goldar protested "he has killed an entire army loyal soldiers and one of your top generals. I trained him myself." Lord Zedd turned to face his minion, a slight red glow surrounding him even as he spoke calmly. "I would advise you to hold your tongue Goldar. All my followers are expected to die for me if necessary, even you. Do not forget that." "Yes my lord" Goldar replied meekly. Sometimes, he wondered if he should have taken his mother's advice and went to work for his cousin Mordant instead.

As Zedd turned his attention back to Triforia, he noticed something troubling. An unfamiliar ship was now entering the planet's atmosphere. Somehow, he knew the Rangers were onboard. "No, not now! Not when I was so close!"

...

Zordon stood before his team, his family, and prepared to give the most important speech of his life. "Rangers, we are about to embark on our

greatest mission ever. For it we win today, we will secure the Zeo Crystal and finally have the power to destroy Dark Specter and end the War forever. It has been an honor to fight alongside all of you for these many years. Some of you have honored me more than others." Zordon flashed Dulcea a knowing smile as he said this.

"Touchdown on Triforia in one minute" Arron reported as he joined the group. Zordon nodded in acknowledgement then turned back to finish his address "I can think of no other word to inspire you than may the Power protect us all. Now it's Morphing time!"

In sync, the Rangers pulled out their morphers and their mighty call was heard for what would be the final time. "Power of the Morphing Grid! Titan! Chimara! Dragon! Griffin! Unicorn! Pegasus!"

In a burst of multicolored light, the six Genesis Rangers stood ready for battle. As the Alpha Megaship touched down on Triforian soil, they rushed out, ready for anything. Meanwhile Thunderer was conversing with Lord Zedd, whose image had appeared in the sky above. "You have done well Thunderer" Zedd said "but I have new orders for you. The Power Rangers are here and you must lure them away from here and destroy them! I will retrieve the Zeo Crystal myself."

"As you wish master" Thunderer replied with a bow and communication ended. Zedd then began concentrating as a small silver grenade appeared in his hand. "Now grow" he commanded as he pitched the object into Space. It soon landed in Thunderer's outstretched hand and he removed the pin. "For the glory of Lord Zedd!" The Viking monster roared as he smashed the grenade to the ground and caused an explosion. The Genesis Rangers caught sight of this and saw Thunderer had grown into a giant.

"Looks like Zedd's errand boy got here before we did" Quasar observed "what now?" "We take him down" Zordon replied "something tells me he doesn't have the Zeo Crystal yet. If we beat him now, our problems are solved. Arron, I trust you own a Zord?"

The Green Ranger nodded and the call went out. "Zords, arise!" The Genesis Zords, now joined by the Pegasus, arrived at their masters' call. After months of being forced to fight giant enemies separately, the Megazord could once again be formed. It now had a green helmet rather than black and no shoulder cannons. The Grid Blade stood ready and charged to full power to handle the new and deadly foe.

Thunderer roared and rushed his foe just as the Megazord attempted to walk forward. Just as his master commanded, the Viking monster was pushing them both away from the palace. The fight truly began only when the two combatants were in some part of the Triforian desert. As the battle began, Lord Zedd himself appeared at the now defenseless palace to claim his prize.

The self-proclaimed emperor almost laughed at how easy it was. He simply walked in, easily killed the few remaining guards, and continued his trek towards the Zeo Crystal. Zedd was in tune with various sources of mystic energy, including the Morphing Grid. There was no place in the universe they could hide the Zeo Crystal where he couldn't feel its power.

He soon arrived at the throne room, the place where the Zeo power felt strongest. He half expected the Crystal to be on display out in the open but instead found Lord Tannis waiting for him. The ruler of Triforia sat on his throne glaring at Zedd with utter hatred.

"Ah, Lord Tannis" Zedd said as he bowed in mock respect "your reputation precedes you." "As does yours Zedd" Tannis replied with no humor in his voice "you have inspired more fear and caused more destruction in your brief history than some of the oldest and most experienced members of Dark Specter's Alliance." "You flatter me." There was pure silence then as Tannis got up and the two began circling each other.

"So, there is a second source of Zeo power" Zedd noted "I sense it's not as strong as the Zeo Crystal but it will definitely be worth adding to my collection." "You'll have neither" Tannis growled "but if wish to experience this power for yourself, be my guest. Super Zeo Power!" The gems on Tannis' belt glowed brighter and he was transformed into an armored form that resembled a cross between the future Gold Zeo Ranger and Ninjor. He was the Super Zeo Warrior.

"Have it your way" Zedd replied as he assumed a fighting stance and charged Tannis. As the two foes clashed, Zedd proved himself to be a capable fighter despite his reliance on magic. He had either blocked or parried most of Tannis' strikes with his staff and was able to deal some decent damage early on despite the Super Zeo Warrior's armor. Unknown to ether of them however, Lady Tamara was taking action of her own.

The queen of Triforia was not pleased with her husband's decision to face Zedd alone. Despite her gentle nature, Tamara had decent hand to hand combat skills and some training with swords. She had tried to get Tannis to let her help him but he was confident in the Super Zeo Gems' power, based on how the battle sounded, Tamara now knew he had been too confident.

As fate would have it, Tamara had uncovered a network of tunnels underneath the Zeo Chamber that led outside the palace. She had hesitantly left Trey hidden in the Zeo Chamber and used these same tunnels to escape and find any help she could. To her surprise, she stumbled across the Genesis Megazord locked in combat with Thunderer. The Viking monster was at that very moment using his hammer to assault the mighty battle machine with mystic lightning.

Tamara watched the scene in horror as the Megazord seemed helpless against the continuous onslaught. Suddenly, a giant green shield appeared in the Megazard's hand and deflected Thunderer's own attack back at him. The Grid Blade was drawn and the great machine rushed the stunned abomination before he could recover, dealing a killing blow. The explosion that followed was the most incredible thing Tamara had ever seen.

The queen of Triforia was so engrossed in what occurred that she almost failed to see the Rangers notice her. The Zords were recalled back to their hiding places and the heroes approached her with caution. "Who are you?" Zordon asked with suspicion "why were you watching us?"

"I am Lady Tamara of Triforia and I am in dire need of you. As we speak, my husband is battling Lord Zedd himself and he can't last much longer." The Rangers were shocked. Zedd was here on Triforia?

"We will aid you M'lady" Zordon replied "of that you can be certain. You can lead us to the palace?" Tamara nodded and the group was off. Little did they know what danger awaited them.

...

Tannis was dying, of that he was certain. He could feel the power of the Super Zeo Gems taking a toll on his body and eating away at his life force despite his years of training. This combined with Zedd's overwhelming ferocity made the possibility of survival very unlikely. Finally, the Lord of Triforia collapsed to the ground, his energy spent as the Super Zeo Warrior armor faded. Zedd stood over his foe triumphantly, preparing himself for the final blow..

"You lasted far longer than I anticipated" the self proclaimed emperor sneered "for that, you have my respect, if not my mercy." Tannis looked up at Zedd and sneered in reply. "You are a fool Zedd!" He spat defiantly "no evil heart will ever claim the power of the Zeo Crystal!"

"We shall see" Zedd replied "in the meantime, the power of these Super Zeo Gems intrigue me. I believe I shall sample them for myself." Lord Zedd then pointed his staff at Tannis and began absorbing the power of the Super Zeo Gems into it. Tannis could not survive the strain of the transfer and his heart gave out. As the Lord of Triforia breathed his last, his final thought was of how he had failed his family.

"What power" Zedd hissed "I feel strong enough to take on Dark Specter's entire Alliance, including Dark Specter himself! Once I add the Zeo Crystal's power, I'll be unstoppable!" "That won't happen Zedd, we won't allow it!" Zedd turned and saw the Rangers, along with Lady Tamara standing before him.

"Ah, Zordon" Zedd mused "you and your friends never disappoint. You have saved me the trouble of hunting you down myself. " "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HUSBAND!" Tamara practically roared as her eyes fell upon Tannis' corpse.

Zedd chuckled. "Lord Tannis has kindly provided me with the power of the Super Zeo Gems at the cost of his own life. I suppose the only way I could repay him is to reunite the two of you for all time." So saying, Lord Zedd unleashed a blast from his staff at Tamara that incinerated her before anyone could make a move.

"Lady Tamara!" Dulcea cried before turning to Zedd. "YOU MONSTER!" "Flattery will get you nowhere my dear" Zedd taunted.

"This ends now Zedd!" Zordon proclaimed. "Indeed it does Zordon" Zedd replied "today you fall. I challenge you to a fight to the finish. I wish to test the power of the Super Zeo Gems against the Morphing Grid. If you win, I am your prisoner and the Zeo Crystal is yours but if I win, your powers are mine. Do we have a deal?"

Everyone was shocked by this development. Would Zordon make such a gamble? "Don't do it beloved, it's a trap" Dulcea muttered "we much face Zedd as a team!" "Silence woman!" Zedd snapped "Zordon must decide for himself."

Zordon was conflicted. If he failed, it would mean the end of everything but if he won, it would mean eternal peace for the universe. He looked at his team, then at Zedd. In that instant, he made his choice: anything to win the War. "Lord Zedd, I accept your challenge!"

"Then step forward" Zedd ordered. Zordon did so and Zedd tapped his staff on the ground, causing a wave of energy to burst forth and encircle the two, creating an arena of sorts around them. "The rules are simple" Zedd replied as he assumed a fighting stance "this is strictly armed combat. My staff against your sword without using magic or outside help. The first to be knocked outside the circle loses, agreed? " Zordon nodded and wordlessly summoned his Titan Saber, assuming his own fighting stance.

"Then let's begin." The two combatants charged one another and the fight commenced. The other Rangers watched in shock as they matched each other blow for blow. It had been many years since someone had been able to fight against Zordon so evenly.

Zordon himself could not help but notice how familiar Zedd's fighting style was. Somehow, the White Ranger knew he had fought this man before but he also knew that it wasn't possible. Zedd was still new to Dark Specter's ranks and had not personally fought them until today. Why then, was Zordon feeling an old sense of dread that hadn't surfaced in nearly two years?

This sense of dread soon turned into anger and made Zordon fight harder than even before. He soon gained the advantage over the self proclaimed emperor and began edging him ever closer to the edge of the makeshift arena. In desperation, Zedd brought up his staff to block Zordon's finishing blow, leaving them deadlocked as they struggled against one another. Zedd leaned in close and whispered "remember what I said about not using magic? I lied!"

Zedd suddenly fired a massive blast from his staff and caught Zordon offguard. The White Ranger was struck hard in the chest and sent flying into a nearby wall. The force of the impact knocked him unconscious and reverted him to civilian form. "who's next?" Zedd cackled.

"MONSTER!" An enraged Dulcea practically roared as she and the others charged their nemesis. The five Rangers attacked all at once but it soon became apparent that Zedd was more than able to hold his own against all of them. Absorbing the energies of the Super Zeo Gems had given him power nearly equal to Dark Specter himself.

Finally, Zedd cast a spell that hoisted all five of them into air and made them completely unable to move. They were completely within his power. "As the victor, I claim my prize. Your powers are now mine!"

Just as he had done with the Super Zeo Gems, Zedd began slowly draining the energies of the Power Coins into his staff, increasing his strength and abilities tenfold. He could also feel the Morphing Grid itself becoming a part of him, its secrets being infused into his very soul. Lord Zedd now knew what it was to be a god.

The captive Rangers screamed in agony as they struggled against Zedd's spell.

They could feel not only their powers being drained but their life force as well. The Morphing Masters had told them once that the Power Coins were bonded to their very being and would remain so for the rest of their lives. They had never suspected this same bond would be the cause of their deaths.

Zedd felt a sick pleasure as he watched his foes squirm; somehow knowing that he was killing them in the process. He was so preoccupied with the torture that he failed to notice Zordon regaining consciousness a short distance from him. The White Ranger laid eyes upon the scene and felt a mighty rage that he had not felt since the battle with Ivan Ooze many years ago. "DULCEA!"

Letting out a roar of inhuman rage, Zordon instantly morphed and charged Lord Zedd with his Titan Saber drawn and charged at maximum power. He was prepared to end it right there and now. Catching his foe out of the corner of his eye, Zedd surrounded himself and his captives in a protective barrier to prevent interference. "Too little too late, Zordon" Zedd taunted.

"NO! I WON'T LET IT END LIKE THIS" Zordon yelled as he began hacking at Zedd's barrier with all his strength. Try as he might however, there was nothing the White Ranger could do.

The drain soon completed itself and the five Rangers reverted to civilian form before collapsing lifelessly to the cold stone floor. "At last!" Zedd proclaimed as he felt the otherworldly energies surging through his being "the power of the Morphing Grid itself resides in me! I can feel the very life of the universe at my fingertips and yet, I must have more!"

So saying, Zedd lowered his barrier and allowed the raging Zordon to charge him. The self proclaimed emperor-now virtually a very real god-calmly raised his staff and began absorbing Zordon's powers as well. The White Ranger fell to his knees as he felt his strength being drained slowly and painfully. "You were a fool to think you could win against me Zordon, all of you were" Zedd proclaimed boastfully "not even Dark Specter can match my power now and once yours are added, I will truly be the new Grand Monarch of Evil!"

As the power transfer ended, Zordon reverted to civilian form panting and sweating. He looks up at Zedd with the purest hatred in his eyes. "So, you survived eh?" Zedd noted with only mild surprise "you truly were the strongest among the Rangers, for all the good it did them." Zedd then delivered a hard kick to Zordon's side, knocking him to the ground and on his back. "Any last words before I finish the job, Powerless Ranger?

Zordon's gaze shifted first to Zedd then to the corpse of his beloved Dulcea and new determination filled him. He pulled himself to his feet and cast a steely gaze at his foe. "I am never powerless Zedd, for I possess the greatest power of all. POWER OF THE MORPHING GRID!

Zedd watched shocked as a massive column of golden light shot down from the heavens, itself and swirled around Zordon's body. The shock only increased when Zordon once again became the White Genesis Ranger, this time with power rivaling Zedd's own. "WHAT IS THIS! HOW CAN THIS BE!

"I'm the most powerful Ranger of all, remember Zedd?" Zordon replied smugly "the Morphing Masters taught me how to channel the Grid without a morpher in times of emergency but I never used it until now. Behold the power of goodness in its purest form. ULTRA GRID SLASH!"

Zordon rushed forward and slashed Zedd with a gleaming gold version of his Titan Saber. Zedd's scream could be heard around the entire galaxy.

The energies of both the Super Zeo Gems and Power Coins were purged from Zedd's body in a brilliant burst of multicolored light. The self proclaimed emperor was hurled towards Tannis' throne and smashed strait through to the wall behind it. Zordon was quick to follow, somehow knowing it was necessary.

Zedd arose to find himself in some sort of chamber. It was clear it was ancient, dating back to perhaps the first Great War. Strangely, a baby could be seen in the corner, sleeping soundly as if protected by some higher power. As Zedd turned around, he soon saw why.

Sitting atop a massive white pedestal was the Zeo Crystal itself, radiating pure power. Ignoring the baby for the time being, Zedd rushed over to claim his true prize. "Yes! After all that, victory is still mine!"

"No Zedd, don't!" Zedd turned to see Zordon, now back in civilian form after exhausting his energy. "Too late Zordon" Zedd cackled as he reached for the Zeo Crystal "ultimate power is already within my grasp!" But the moment Zedd's hand touched the Zeo Crystal, a massive surge of painful energy travelled through his entire body, even more painful than Zordon's attack.

"AH! Zordon watched in silent horror as Zedd's armor was burned away from his body and his very skin began to peel away, exposing his brain and organs. The mutilated tyrant released his hold on the Zeo Crystal and fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Zordon looked upon him with pity.

"I had almost forgotten that according to legend, the Zeo Crystal was made to repel any evil that came into contact with it" Zordon said to himself even as he gazed at Zedd "I didn't think the effect would be this severe. I should leave you here to die for what you've done but then, I'd be no better than you would I? The Morphing Masters may be able to save you if I hurry. " "YOU'LL DO NOTHING ELTARIAN!"

Zordon looked to see the visage of Dark Specter himself appear above him. "DESPITE HIS TREACHEROUS THOUGHTS, ZEDD'S SERVICE TO ME IS NOT YET DONE AND IT SHALL ME WHO TENDS TO HIM." Dark Specter reached out a massive hand and picked his minion up before turning back to Zordon. "AS FOR YOU,THIS WAR IS NOT OVER YET. ONE DAY YOU AND I WILL MEET IN BATTLE AND YOU WILL DIE BY MY HAND AS MY FORCES CONSUME THIS UNIVERSE. WHEN THAT DAY COMES,NOT EVEN THE MORPHING GRID WILL PROTECT YOU FROM MY WRATH!"

With that, Dark Specter vanished with Zedd in tow, leaving Zordon alone with who he could only assume was the Triforian prince. As the former White Ranger cradled the baby in his arms, he knew Dark Specter was right about one thing: the Great War wasn't over yet.

Epilogue:

And so, the first part of the saga of Zordon of Eltar came to a close, but it far from the end. These early years were only the beginning of a grand legacy surrounding Zordon, Zedd, and countless others. It was the beginning of an age-long epic surrounding a young planet that would one day be called Earth. It was the beginning of the Power Rangers.

Only the Beginning.

Author's notes: Well, that's that! It was going to be longer but I've been forced to split it into two separate stories. The second half will chronicle Zordon's recruitment of his very first Ranger team to combat Rita Repulsa and the roles he played in the first wars against Bansheera, the Orgs, Dai-shi, the Nighloks, Octomus, and other parts of PR history. I hope any fans of Masked Rider enjoyed this as well. I didn't put a separate disclaimer for that because this is based on the PR version and not the spin-off. I would also like to dedicate this story to John Evans, who inspired me to put movie-verse elements into the canon setting. I only hope I did Ivan Ooze justice LOL! Once again, I own nothing except my own characters and concepts. No profit is being made from this so please don't sue. LOL!

Until next time,

J.W. Appel

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